H.R. 3347 — Sovereign States Emergency Management Act

This section abolishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—the primary federal agency responsible for coordinating preparation for, response to, and recovery from disasters—effective two years after the date of enactment. It (1) transfers any unobligated FEMA funds to the general fund of the Treasury for the program established under this section; (2) transfers all FEMA functions to the President; (3) makes FEMA personnel, property, and records available to the President for use in connection with the transferred functions; and (4) deems statutory and other references to the FEMA Administrator to refer to the President and references to FEMA to refer to the Executive Office of the President.

This section establishes a program administered by the Secretary of the Treasury to provide block grants to states (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) for natural disaster and emergency relief. Grants are allocated to each state pursuant to a formula established by rule that considers (1) population size, (2) historical disaster frequency and severity over the prior 20 years, (3) geographic risk factors (e.g., seismic zones, flood plains, hurricane-prone areas), and (4) economic need based on per capita income; states may use grants for disaster preparedness training and equipment, response and recovery operations, and mitigation projects, with up to 5% for administrative costs, but only after Secretary approval of an annual state emergency management plan submitted by April 1 that describes intended uses, coordination with local and Tribal governments, and measurable goals. States must submit annual reports within 90 days after each fiscal year on fund uses, outcomes (e.g., preparedness metrics, response times, mitigation projects), and plan compliance; the Secretary must ensure no duplication of other federal assistance for the same purposes and conduct annual audits with reports to specified congressional committees. Of amounts made available, 10% is for program administration and 10% for audits; the program terminates 4 years after issuance of the allocation rule.