H.R. 10899House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Power Outage Family Assistance Act

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide for individual and household assistance in the event of a prolonged power outage, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated October 27, 2026 at 5:21 AM UTC

The Power Outage Family Assistance Act amends the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to let the President, upon a state or tribal request, designate a prolonged power outage and provide disaster assistance to affected individuals and households. It creates a new definition of prolonged outages and expands assistance to cover serious needs, medical costs, displacement, lodging, and property losses, even without a formal disaster declaration. The bill applies to outages affecting at least 10% of consumers for 72 hours or more caused by natural, terrorist, cyber, fire, flood, or explosion events, while excluding planned outages and those due to utility negligence.

Key Provisions

Adds a new Section 431 that lets the President, after a governor or tribal chief requests it, officially designate a prolonged power outage.
Allows individuals and households to receive disaster assistance (under existing Section 408) for serious needs, medical/dental costs, displacement, lodging, miscellaneous items, and personal property, even if no major disaster is declared.
Defines a "prolonged power outage" as loss of electricity affecting at least 10% of consumers in a political subdivision for 72 hours or more due to a covered event.
Specifies covered events include natural catastrophes, terrorism or cybersecurity incidents, and any fire, flood, or explosion.
Excludes outages that are planned, scheduled, or caused by utility negligence or failure to meet safety standards.
Amends Section 317 to include power outages as qualifying events for recovery of assistance.
Requires the President to issue rules and regulations needed to implement these changes.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

October 22, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

October 22, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

October 22, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued October 22, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10899

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 22, 2026

Ms. Stevens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide for individual and household assistance in the event of a prolonged power outage, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Power Outage Family Assistance Act.

Prolonged power outage

(a)

In general

Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

431.

Prolonged power outage

(a)

Designation

The President may, upon request of the Governor of a State or Chief Executive of an Indian tribal government, designate a prolonged power outage for purposes of providing assistance described in subsection (b) for the duration of such power outage.

(b)

Assistance to individuals and households

The President may, in any area affected by a prolonged power outage designated under subsection (a), provide assistance to individuals and households in accordance with section 408, regardless of whether a major disaster is declared under section 401, for—

(1)

serious needs;

(2)

medical and dental costs;

(3)

displacement costs;

(4)

lodging expense reimbursements;

(5)

miscellaneous item costs; and

(6)

personal property costs.

(c)

Applicability

This section shall not apply to any power outage that is—

(1)

planned, scheduled, or pre-announced, including for maintenance, load management, or system upgrades; or

(2)

primarily attributable to negligence, failure to maintain, or failure to comply with applicable reliability or safety standards by an electric utility or grid operator.

(d)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Prolonged power outage

The term ‘prolonged power outage’ means a loss of electrical power caused by a covered event that affects not fewer than 10 percent of consumers in a political subdivision of a State for not fewer than 72 hours.

(2)

Covered event

The term covered event means—

(A)

any natural catastrophe, including hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, high water, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions;

(B)

a terrorism or cybersecurity event; or

(C)

regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion.

(b)

Recovery of assistance

Section 317 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5160) is amended—

(1)

in subsection (a)—

(A)

by inserting , or prolonged power outage designated under section 431, before shall be liable; and

(B)

by striking such disaster or emergency and inserting such disaster, emergency, or power outage; and

(2)

in subsection (b) by striking or emergency and inserting , emergency, or prolonged power outage designated under section 431.

(c)

Rules and regulations

The President shall prescribe such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the amendments made by this Act.