HR 3168: National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

HR 3168 in plain English: This bill reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through FY2030, providing $83,403,000 per year for U.S. Geological Survey activities including earthquake monitoring, early warnings, and hazard mapping. It also expands the early warning system to more high-risk areas, requires faster broadcast of alerts, and updates seismic hazard maps to include tsunamis and other earthquake-related hazards.

Stated purpose

To reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program through fiscal year 2030, and to expand earthquake early warning, hazard mapping, and related activities carried out by federal agencies.

Key points

• Authorizes $83,403,000 per fiscal year from 2026 through 2030 for USGS earthquake hazard activities
• Requires at least $30,000,000 per year to go toward completing the Advanced National Seismic System
• Requires USGS to coordinate with the FCC to broadcast earthquake alerts as rapidly as possible
• Expands the earthquake early warning system to additional high-risk areas
• Requires seismic hazard maps to include tsunamis and other earthquake-associated hazards

Arguments supporters make

• Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but faster and wider warnings save lives—expanding the early warning system to more high-risk areas and ensuring alerts go out in local languages means more people get a chance to protect themselves.
• Including Tribal governments and adding tsunami and aftershock information fills real gaps in the current program, making the overall system more complete and equitable.
• Updating building and infrastructure standards to include recovery goals—not just survival—helps communities get back on their feet faster after a disaster, reducing long-term economic harm.

Arguments opponents make

• Reauthorizing at roughly $83 million per year adds to federal spending without a guarantee that the money will be spent efficiently, and critics may argue existing agency budgets should be prioritized differently.
• Expanding coordination requirements across multiple federal agencies, state, local, and Tribal governments, and the FCC risks creating bureaucratic overlap that slows down the very warnings and responses the bill aims to speed up.
• Voluntary standards and guidelines for buildings and infrastructure have limited effect if communities lack the resources or legal requirements to actually adopt and enforce them, meaning the safety benefits may not reach the people who need them most.

Tradeoffs

The bill requires significant ongoing federal funding to expand warning systems and update hazard maps, which provides broader public safety coverage but competes with other spending priorities; it also adds coordination responsibilities across many agencies and governments, which can improve comprehensiveness but may slow decision-making.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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