# 119-s-5276: Reducing Red Tape for Rebuilding Act

119-s-5276, Reducing Red Tape for Rebuilding Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5276
- As of: 2026-08-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5276
- Congress: 119
- Title: Reducing Red Tape for Rebuilding Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-26

## Summary

**This bill would expand and clarify when base and overtime wages for extra hires are eligible for Stafford Act reimbursement.** It sets two separate eligibility windows for those wages: 180 days after a major disaster declaration for substantial damage determinations, and up to 2 years after a date chosen by the recipient for activities tied to adopting or enforcing building codes. - State and local governments gain clearer timing. They may seek reimbursement for wages tied to damage determinations if paid within 180 days and for building‑code work if paid within up to 2 years. - Workers hired to support recovery keep coverage for both base pay and overtime. The change preserves eligibility for extra hires under the existing Stafford Act cross‑reference. - Rebuilding and code‑adoption efforts can run longer without forcing recipients to lose wage reimbursement for certain staff. The wider windows aim to reduce administrative barriers to finishing code‑related recovery tasks. *This bill does not authorize new funding or new appropriations and only changes the timing rules for existing Stafford Act reimbursements.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More wage reimbursements for disaster hires: benefit, low. State, local, and tribal governments would be able to seek reimbursement for base and overtime wages paid to extra hires. Wages for hires doing substantial damage determinations would be eligible only if the determination happens within 180 days of the disaster declaration. Wages for other activiti…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5276 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5276)

## Related
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5276 (as of 2026-08-26).