S. 1429Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

POWER Act of 2025

A bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize Federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities, and for other purposes.

Also known as Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience Act of 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 24, 2025 at 1:04 AM UTC

The POWER Act amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to let federal agencies provide essential assistance to electric utilities for hazard‑mitigation work. It lets utilities combine mitigation projects with power‑restoration efforts and ensures that receiving emergency restoration aid does not block them from later mitigation funding. The changes affect electric utilities and the federal disaster‑relief programs that support them.

Key Provisions

Adds a new sub‑paragraph (e) to the Stafford Act allowing electric utilities to receive federal assistance for cost‑effective hazard‑mitigation projects, either on their own or combined with power‑restoration work.
Specifies that if a utility gets emergency restoration aid, that aid does not make the utility ineligible for separate hazard‑mitigation assistance under the existing Section 406.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

April 10, 2025

View full timeline

SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

April 10, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

April 10, 2025

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in SenateIssued April 10, 2025

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1429

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 10, 2025

Mr. Lankford (for himself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Mullin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize Federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience Act of 2025 or the POWER Act of 2025 .

Essential assistance

(a)

In general

Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(e)

Electric utilities

(1)

Hazard mitigation activities

An electric utility may carry out cost-effective hazard mitigation activities jointly or otherwise in combination with activities for the restoration of power carried out with assistance provided under this section.

(2)

Eligibility for additional assistance

In any case in which an electric utility facility receives assistance under this section for the emergency restoration of power, the receipt of such assistance shall not render such facility ineligible for any hazard mitigation assistance under section 406 for which such facility is otherwise eligible.

(b)

Applicability

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall only apply to amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act.