{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://frost.house.gov/media/press-releases/frost-ezell-king-hinds-bill-to-give-disaster-survivors-more-time-to-appeal-fema-denials-clears-committee", "Frost, Ezell, King-Hinds Bill To Give Disaster Survivors More Time To Appeal FEMA Denials Clears Committee", "2026-09-15", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Maxwell Frost", "F000476", "frost.house.gov", "frost", "https://frost.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 The bipartisan Post-Disaster Protection Act, led by Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Congressman Mike Ezell (MS-04), and Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (MP-AL), passed the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure\u2019s markup today, bringing the legislation one step closer to a vote on the House floor.\n\nThe legislation would extend the deadline for applicants to appeal denials of FEMA disaster assistance from 60 to 90 days, matching the amount of time FEMA has to review an appeal. The extension would apply to individual disaster survivors as well as government applicants, including states, cities, counties, and utilities.\n\n\u201cWhen disaster strikes, people should not have to race against the clock to prove that they need help,\u201d said Congressman Maxwell Frost. \u201cIf FEMA has 90 days to review an appeal, survivors should have 90 days to make their case. This is a simple fix that gives families and communities the time they need to gather documents, correct mistakes, and access the assistance they are entitled to.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommunities across South Mississippi know firsthand that recovering from a natural disaster is difficult enough without unnecessary hurdles from the federal government. The Post-Disaster Protection Act is a commonsense fix that gives families and local communities more time to navigate FEMA\u2019s appeals process and make their case. If FEMA gets 90 days to review an appeal, disaster survivors deserve the same amount of time to submit one. I\u2019m glad to see this bipartisan bill advance out of committee, and I look forward to working to get it across the finish line.\u201d \u2014 Congressman Mike Ezell\n\n\u201cDisaster survivors and communities are often navigating an overwhelming recovery process while trying to access the federal assistance they need,\u201d said Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds. \u201cHaving experienced firsthand the challenges of disaster recovery in the Northern Mariana Islands, I understand how difficult it can be to gather documentation, navigate federal requirements, and appeal a decision while rebuilding lives and critical infrastructure. The Post-Disaster Protection Act is a practical step that gives disaster survivors and local governments a fair opportunity to make their case. I am proud to join Representatives Frost and Ezell in advancing this bipartisan legislation and ensuring that communities across our nation have the time and support they need to recover.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Post-Disaster Protection Act is an important step toward giving homeowners and community associations more time to appeal FEMA assistance decisions during disaster recovery. CAI is proud to support this bipartisan legislation and commends Rep. Maxwell Frost\u2019s leadership in helping the 78.1 million Americans living in community associations access the federal assistance they need to recover and rebuild.\u201d \u2014 Community Associations Institute\n\n\"Disaster survivors are often at their most vulnerable when they're forced to navigate FEMA's complex appeals process,\" said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. \"The Post-Disaster Protection Act provides much-needed fairness by giving survivors 90 days to appeal a denial, giving them the time they need to gather documentation and correct errors after a disaster upends their lives. This commonsense change will help more residents successfully access the relief they're entitled to and ease the burden on local governments working to help our communities recover. As this legislation heads to markup, counties urge the T&I Committee to advance this bipartisan legislation.\"\n\n\u201cOne of the biggest challenges of responding to and recovering from a disaster is managing the complexities of federal programs. The Post-Disaster Protection Act will bring applicant deadlines into alignment with federal review periods and help ease the burden on disaster survivors. NEMA thanks the Members willing to co-sponsor and make this bill truly bipartisan.\u201d \u2014 A.J. Gary, NEMA President\n\n\u201cThe National League of Cities supports the Post-Disaster Protection Act, which would give communities additional time to appeal FEMA assistance decisions. We thank Representatives Maxwell Frost, Mike Ezell, and Kimberlyn King-Hinds for championing this important bipartisan legislation.\u201d \u2014 Yucel Ors, Legislative Director, Public Safety and Crime Prevention, National League of Cities\n\nThe bill is endorsed by the National Association of Counties, Community Associations Institute, United States Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and National Emergency Management Association.\n\nThe Post-Disaster Protection Act is cosponsored by Reps. Mike Ezell (R-MS), Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-VI), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Byron Donalds (R-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), Laurel Lee (R-FL), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Cory Mills (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL).\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://frost.house.gov/media/press-releases/frost-ezell-king-hinds-bill-to-give-disaster-survivors-more-time-to-appeal-fema-denials-clears-committee"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.263312926515937, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}