National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill continues a national program that helps the country prepare for earthquakes. It recognizes that nearly half of all Americans live in areas where a damaging earthquake could happen in the next 50 years. The plan provides money to agencies like FEMA and the U.S. Geological Survey to keep people safe and reduce property damage.
• A major part of the plan is expanding the earthquake early warning system. This technology sends alerts to phones and computers seconds before the shaking starts, giving people time to drop, cover, and hold on. The bill also requires these alerts to be sent in the most common languages spoken in the affected areas to ensure everyone is reached.
• The policy changes how we think about building safety. Instead of just making sure buildings don't collapse, the goal is now "functional recovery." This means designing buildings so they can be fixed and used again quickly after a quake, which helps communities get back to normal faster and prevents long-term economic loss.
• It expands research into other dangers caused by earthquakes, such as tsunamis, landslides, and fires. It also provides technical help to state, local, and Tribal governments so they can identify high-risk buildings and create better evacuation plans for these related disasters.
• The bill authorizes over $160 million in yearly funding through 2028. This includes about $92 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor seismic activity and $54 million for the National Science Foundation to study how earthquakes affect the ground and structures.