Strengthening Capacity for Disaster Resilient Territories Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 5503 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5503 To require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a Territorial Disaster Recovery Program to continuously identify, monitor, and address factors and capability gaps that hinder the execution and completion of recovery activities relating to major disasters by eligible entities located in the territories of the United States. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2025 Ms. Velazquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a Territorial Disaster Recovery Program to continuously identify, monitor, and address factors and capability gaps that hinder the execution and completion of recovery activities relating to major disasters by eligible entities located in the territories of the United States. 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 ``Strengthening Capacity for Disaster Resilient Territories Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings: (1) The United States territories are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which have become more frequent and stronger in recent years. (2) Category-5 Hurricane Maria, which made its landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, is considered to be the second deadliest storm recorded in United States history. (3) Category-5 Hurricane Irma, which struck the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on September 6, 2017, is considered to be the second-most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017. (4) Ty