Summary#
The REAADI for Disasters Act aims to improve disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for older adults and people with disabilities. It requires that disaster-related funds and programs follow disability and age nondiscrimination laws. The bill would: require accessible communications and shelters; expect covered recipients to include advisory committees with people with disabilities and older adults; allow contracting with centers for independent living; expand training, technical assistance, and research centers; create a Disaster Human Services Emergency Fund for rapid human services support; authorize disaster preparedness grants and projects of national significance; require states and local governments to develop crisis standards of care consistent with federal civil rights laws; expand and fund a national advisory committee on disabilities and disasters; establish a short-term committee to review past settlement agreements; and direct the GAO to investigate whether federal agencies have complied with disability laws when spending disaster funds since 2005.
What it means for you#
- If you are an older adult or a person with a disability: the bill seeks more accessible communications, shelters, and services during disasters and requires inclusion in planning and decision-making.
- If you work for a state, local, Tribal, or territorial emergency, public health, or social service agency: the bill encourages training, technical help, and partnerships with disability-focused organizations and may require new crisis standards of care and advisory committees.
- If you run or work at a center for independent living, VOAD, nonprofit, or human services provider: the bill creates grant opportunities to provide training, case management, accessible services, and support for community living before, during, and after disasters.
- If you follow Federal oversight: the bill expands an advisory committee on disabilities and disasters, creates a temporary review committee for past settlement agreements, and directs GAO to report on past compliance with disability laws.
Expenses#
- Section 6 (Training, technical assistance, and research disability and disaster centers): authorizes $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Section 7 (Disaster Human Services Emergency Fund): authorizes $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the Fund.
- Section 8 (Disaster preparedness grants): authorizes $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Section 11 (National Advisory Committee amendment): authorizes $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to carry out that section.
- Grant award guidance in the bill sets typical grant amounts between $2,500,000 and $10,000,000 for several grant programs and specifies grant periods (for example, 3–5 years or 5 years in some programs).
No publicly available information on estimated total budgetary effects, offsets, or official cost estimates.
Proponents' View#
According to the bill text, supporters want to reduce deaths, injuries, displacement, and civil-rights violations that affect older adults and people with disabilities in disasters. The bill’s authors say it will increase inclusion of covered individuals in planning and response, improve access to services and shelters, provide training and technical help to emergency and human service agencies, support research on effective practices, and create dedicated rapid-response funding to meet human services needs.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.