April 14, 2025
Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Bresnahan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
To amend section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the President to provide assistance for predisaster hazard mitigation measures, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Save Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Act
or the Save BRIC Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
Predisaster mitigation enables actions to be taken proactively to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of future disasters.
(2)
Effective mitigation minimizes the potential loss of life and property from a disaster based on identifying and understanding the risks in a given area or community.
(3)
The United States experienced 27 weather and climate disasters with damages exceeding $1,000,000,000 in 2024.
(4)
Mitigation can encompass a wide variety of activities, including preparation and planning, elevating or moving structures prone to flooding, reducing loss of life during extreme heat, and hardening structures to mitigate the effects of hurricanes or earthquakes.
(5)
Scientific research has proven that every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation saves up to $13 in disaster recovery costs.
(6)
In 2019, President Trump created the predisaster mitigation program known as Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure (BRIC) because it is prudent from a business and insurance perspective.
(7)
In 2025, the BRIC program was wrongfully cancelled and over $4,000,000,000 of predisaster mitigation grants were clawed back from communities vulnerable to disaster damage.
Sec. 3. Mandatory mitigation
Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (b) by striking may
and inserting shall
; and
(2)
in subsection (c) by striking may
and inserting shall
.