Think Differently About Emergencies Act
Public Law 118-123 · H.R. 6249 · 118th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Nov 25, 2024 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-NY-19)
Cosponsors (10): Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Salud Carbajal,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This act requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding assistance and resources provided by FEMA to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the families of such individuals who are impacted by major disasters.
Specifically, FEMA must report within 120 days of this act's enactment, describing the assistance and resources that FEMA provides to such individuals and families through states, localities, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.
Further, FEMA and GAO must each (1) review such assistance and resources, (2) identify potential legal impediments to providing such assistance and resources, and (3) provide recommendations to Congress.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · discharged from, markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6249Identical bill
Think Differently About Emergencies Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.
- Nov 25, 2024Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-123.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 21, 2024FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 20, 2024FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 19, 2024FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 23, 2024CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 441.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Peters without amendment. With written report No. 118-195.
- May 15, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Mar 12, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Mar 11, 2024FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6249.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Molinaro moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Feb 20, 2024CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 321.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 118-392.
- Nov 15, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Discharged
- Nov 8, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- Nov 6, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.