Bill Summary
The "Fairness and Accountability of Appeals Act of 2025" proposes an amendment to section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. This amendment allows for the reimbursement of attorney's fees for applicants who successfully appeal or arbitrate decisions regarding disaster assistance. Specifically, if an applicant receives a favorable decision after requesting an appeal or arbitration, the Administrator of the disaster relief program is required to cover the attorney's fees incurred by the applicant during that process. This legislation aims to enhance fairness and accountability in the disaster assistance appeal process by alleviating the financial burden on applicants seeking to challenge unfavorable decisions.
Possible Impacts
The proposed legislation, the "Fairness and Accountability of Appeals Act of 2025," which amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide for reimbursement of attorney's fees in certain appeals, could affect people in several ways:
1. **Increased Access to Legal Representation**: By allowing reimbursement of attorney's fees for individuals who successfully appeal decisions made regarding disaster assistance, more individuals may be encouraged to seek legal help. This could lead to a greater likelihood of successfully appealing unfavorable decisions, ultimately resulting in more individuals receiving the assistance they need after disasters.
2. **Enhanced Accountability of Assistance Programs**: The provision for reimbursing attorney's fees could prompt disaster assistance programs to be more thorough and fair in their initial assessments and decisions. Knowing that applicants have the means to contest decisions and recover legal costs may lead to improved decision-making processes within these programs, reducing the likelihood of wrongful denials.
3. **Financial Relief for Disaster Survivors**: For individuals and families affected by disasters, legal battles over assistance can be financially burdensome. This legislation would alleviate some of that financial strain by ensuring that, if they win their appeals, they will not also be left with the burden of paying for legal representation. This can ease the financial stress on disaster survivors who are often already facing significant challenges in the aftermath of a disaster.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5310 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5310
To amend section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act to provide for reimbursement of attorney?s
fees under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 11, 2025
Mr. Ezell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act to provide for reimbursement of attorney?s
fees under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness and Accountability of
Appeals Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. APPEALS OF ASSISTANCE DECISIONS.
Section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189a) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(e) Attorney's Fees.--In any case in which an applicant who
requested an appeal under subsection (a) or arbitration under
subsection (d) receives a favorable decision following such appeal or
arbitration, the Administrator shall reimburse such applicant for any
attorney's fees of the applicant relating to such appeal or
arbitration.''.
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