As I shared in my last communique, EERI continues to navigate the ongoing uncertainty created by funding cuts in the U.S. and policy changes at the federal level. EERI has been working hard to advocate for the restoration and continuation of important earthquake hazard mitigation funding sources and to document the impacts of these funding and workforce cuts. We know many of you have also been personally affected by these changes, and our advocacy is a reflection of our commitment to this community and our shared mission of achieving earthquake resilience.
I want to highlight some current areas of focus:
- Under the leadership of Anna Lang, EERI is working to form a strong coalition in support of NEHRP reauthorization. EERI strongly supports Senate Bill S.320, a comprehensive, integrated reauthorization of all four NEHRP agencies—NSF, FEMA, USGS, and NIST—at full funding levels. The bill also includes aspects of particular interest to EERI, particularly functional recovery. On a related House bill, H.R. 3168, EERI is seeking amendments, because it currently doesn’t authorize NIST, NSF, and FEMA for 2026-2030, and authorizes a lower amount of funding for USGS than S.320. EERI wants to ensure that all agencies are fully funded to ensure that NEHRP can achieve its goals. EERI is therefore working with NCSEA and ICC to build a coalition to strongly advocate to the bill’s author and the House Space Science and Technology Committee for the addition of these agencies and increased alignment of this bill with S.320.
- In efforts led by Justin Moresco and Sam Mengelkoch, PPA’s California Legislative Subcommittee continues to advocate for changes to California AB 306. Currently, EERI remains opposed to the bill, despite some recent amendments, due to concerns that it may limit the ability of local jurisdictions to make future building code amendments for seismic safety, including retrofit ordinances. Advocacy from EERI and partner organizations has already helped modify the bill through the legislative process to preserve the triennial code cycle.
- EERI recently issued a letter of support for California AJR 11, a joint resolution calling on the President and U.S. Congress to restore full funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program administered by FEMA.
- Under the leadership of Amanda Hertzfeld and Kaleigh Yost, we are continuing to monitor the wide-ranging impacts of additional changes at the federal level and make a public case for the importance of federal earthquake mitigation funding. The PPA survey about the impact of federal funding cuts organized by Chiara McKenney drew more than 50 responses and some takeaways will be shared in the near future. Your input is still welcome and the survey form is available here.
- PPA is also working with other organizations to monitor the budget proposal now being considered by Congress, which includes dramatic cuts to NSF, as well as to oppose the cancellation of the contract for the NEHRP Provisions Update Committee. PPA is closely following the establishment of the new FEMA Review Council, in order to make the case for the importance of seismic mitigation activities to that audience as it considers the future role of the agency. PPA members are planning a legislative visit to Washington D.C. later this year.
- The Northern California Regional Chapter has organized an event on “Future of Earthquake Resilience Amid Federal Funding Cuts” in Oakland on June 17. I will be joining Past President Janiele Maffei and other panelists to discuss these issues, and you can RSVP here to attend.
EERI is seeking partners in these efforts, particularly the campaign to support NEHRP reauthorization. Please contact me if your organization is interested in joining this coalition and its sign-on support letters. As an individual, you also can join the PPA to participate in monthly calls organizing advocacy efforts and reach out to your elected representatives using the resources in the Legislative Action Center here.
I am very grateful to the Public Policy and Advocacy (PPA) committee for leading our intensive work to respond to this, with support from EERI staff, board, and volunteers. Thank you to Amanda Hertzfeld, Anna Lang, Kaleigh Yost, Justin Moresco, Sam Mengelkoch, and Chiara McKenney, Ryan Kersting, and PPA Secretariats Zorana Mijic and Isela Dy. We welcome the input and support of all our members as we continue to pursue our mission of achieving earthquake resilience in our communities.
Your support of EERI through your membership and participation in volunteer activities is more critical than ever in this time of uncertainty.
