# 119-hr-5407: Climate Resilient Elections Act

119-hr-5407, Climate Resilient Elections Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-08-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5407
- As of: 2026-08-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5407
- Congress: 119
- Title: Climate Resilient Elections Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-15

## Summary

**Strengthening election resilience to climate-driven disasters.** This bill would require states that receive its benefits to prepare continuity-of-operations plans and set up a federal grant program to harden voting systems, train staff, and support voters before, during, and after major disasters. - States and election officials would have to submit a continuity-of-operations plan by Sept. 30, 2028, update it by Sept. 30, 2033, and at least every five years through 2043, with public posting that avoids personal data or security risks. - Voters and local election admins would gain grant-funded tools to improve election resilience, including upgrades or replacements of voting equipment, disaster-focused voter education, staff and poll-worker training, COOP development, and toll-free hotlines for voting during disasters. - Congress would get a GAO (Comptroller General) report by Sept. 30, 2026 analyzing how natural disasters affect voter registration and how federal resources could better support election administration, while the bill expressly bars federal seizure of ballots or voting machines. *This bill would authorize $20.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030, about $100.0 million total, increasing authorized federal spending by that amount.*

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35] (D-CA), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- No federal seizure of ballots: benefit, low. The bill would make clear that nothing in it lets the Federal Government seize or hold ballots or voting machines. This would only limit federal authority and would not change how States run elections.
- What counts as a covered disaster: benefit, low. The bill would define when a disaster triggers these rules. A “covered major disaster” would be one the President declares during the voting period of a Federal election under the Stafford Act. It would include hurricanes and storms; earthquakes and volcanic events; landslides or mudslides; snowsto…
- Grants and plans for disaster-ready elections: mixed, medium. The bill would give States grants to strengthen elections against major disasters. It would provide $20 million each year for 2026 through 2030. Grants could pay for training, voter education, hotlines, updating or replacing voting systems, and developing or publishing continuity plans. A State tha…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5407 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5407)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5407 (as of 2026-08-15).