SAFE Rural Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a permanent SAFE Rural Fund by requiring FEMA to set aside 2 percent of its Disaster Relief Fund every year specifically for flood mitigation in rural and tribal communities, rather than leaving this optional as under current law.
• Every eligible state and tribal government is guaranteed at least $5 million a year from the fund, so small, low-capacity rural areas do not have to compete against big cities for FEMA mitigation dollars, though no single recipient can get more than 15 percent of the fund or $150 million.
• Grant applications are capped at 10 pages for projects and 5 pages for planning, and projects under $200,000 no longer need a complex cost-benefit study, cutting red tape for towns with few grant-writing staff.
• The bill pushes mitigation projects toward nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration, living shorelines, and reforestation as alternatives or supplements to traditional concrete flood infrastructure.
• States and tribes must move fast once they get money: they must decide on local subgrant applications within 6 months and get funds out the door within 12 months of receiving them.
• A separate small-project track requires states to set aside at least 15 percent of their allocation for projects under $500,000, like culvert replacement or small drainage fixes, with a simplified application and a 60-day decision deadline.