# 117-hr-1917: Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act

117-hr-1917, Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7] (D-TX); status became_law; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-01-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1917
- As of: 2026-01-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-1917
- Congress: 117
- Title: Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act
- Status: became_law
- Introduced: 2021-03-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7] (D-TX)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-01-05

## Summary

**Allows certain hazard mitigation projects to begin implementation and access federal assistance earlier.** The law creates a narrow "covered project" pathway so some planning or construction can start under specific hazard mitigation grant programs while meeting environmental and regulatory checks. - Local governments, tribes, and other eligible entities can begin planning or construction and seek assistance under three hazard mitigation programs if they meet normal eligibility rules and clear incompatible encumbrances. - Project applicants must meet federal requirements and have the Administrator determine the project qualifies for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act and complies with floodplain and wetlands rules. If a covered project is not awarded assistance or is found ineligible, the applicant bears any costs they already incurred. - The Administrator must report to Congress within 180 days and annually for three years on use of this authority, including counts of applicants, awards, denials, reasons, and compliance. The authority ends three years after enactment and applies only to projects started after enactment.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (R-TX), 2021-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Resident Commissioner González-Colón, Jenniffer [R-PR-At Large] (R-PR), 2021-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rice, Tom [R-SC-7] (R-SC), 2021-07-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3] (R-NC), 2021-07-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Butterfield, G. K. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2021-10-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Allred, Colin Z. [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2021-10-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022-12-21T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Concur in the Senate Amendment | Passed | 393 | 19 |
| 2021-11-04T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed | 409 | 16 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- FEMA grants for started buyouts and demolitions: benefit, high. You can get FEMA hazard mitigation grant money for an acquisition-and-demolition project even if you started planning or construction before applying. To qualify, the project must meet all program and federal rules, and you must clear any incompatible encumbrances on the property. FEMA must find th…
- Pay costs if FEMA grant denied: cost, high. If your buyout or demolition project does not get a FEMA grant or is ruled ineligible, you must cover all costs you already incurred. This applies when you began planning or construction before an award. The rule is in effect now.
- Temporary grant authority ends after three years: cost, medium. The law’s special rules for started acquisition-and-demolition projects are temporary. They end three years after enactment. After that, the expanded eligibility no longer applies.

## Related bills

- 117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servicemembers who perished in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation…
- 117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022.
- 117-hr-3642: Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-3630: Lymphedema Treatment Act
- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…

## Sources
- [117-hr-1917 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1917)

## Related
- [117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5142)
- [117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyvi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hres-881)
- [117-hr-3642: Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3642)
- [117-hr-3630: Lymphedema Treatment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3630)
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1917 (as of 2026-01-05).