Three pieces of federal legislation to improve national disaster resilience and mitigation efforts are supported by the AIA, according to an October 13, 2026, announcement. The group shared its support on the day marked as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, calling for a greater focus on proactive risk management.
Legislative proposals supported include H.R. 9557, H.R. 10686, and H.R. 1375, respectively named the Ounce of Prevention Act, the Community Disaster Protection Act, and the Rebuild & Save Act.R. H.R. H.R. 1375, titled the Rebuild & Save Act, complements both the Ounce of Prevention Act (H.R. 9557) and the Community Disaster Protection Act (H.R. 10686).R. 10686) and the Ounce of Prevention Act (H.R. 9557) among the proposed legislative measures.R. Legislative proposals currently include H.R. 1375, which is the Rebuild & Save Act, alongside H.R. 10686.R. 1375). These bills aim to provide communities and businesses with better resources to withstand extreme weather and recover more effectively.
H.R. 9557, otherwise known as the Ounce of Prevention Act,R. H.R. 9557 is sponsored by Reps. Sam Liccardo, D-CA-16, and William Timmons, R-SC-04. It permits local authorities in vulnerable regions to allocate certain grant money toward preparing for natural hazards. This encompasses construction, rehabilitation, and resilience upgrades. The AIA highlighted the bill as a bipartisan effort to allow for preventative spending before disasters occur.
H.R. 10686, also known as the Community Disaster Protection Act, is a priority for risk management and insurance experts.R. 10686) introduces a FEMA pilot grant program. This program seeks to support community-based catastrophe insurance initiatives. Representing the 47th District, Representative Dave Min introduced this bill. It broadens availability of inexpensive insurance and adds mitigation mandates while preserving current state-level regulatory systems.
H.R. 1375, which is officially titled the Rebuild & Save Act, serves as the third proposal.R. 1375), focuses on the post-disaster recovery phase. Representative Kathy Castor, serving Florida’s 14th district, authored the bill to boost loan caps for SBA recovery funding by 10 percentage points, moving from 20 percent to 30 percent. This change is intended to facilitate the inclusion of resilient design and improvements when rebuilding property.
The AIA stated that these legislative efforts represent a broader need to move away from reactive policies and toward an approach centered on preparation. By integrating resilient design into federal policy, the organization suggests that property owners can better protect lives and reduce future losses. The AIA is calling on Congress to prioritize these policies to help vulnerable populations and strengthen infrastructure against the impacts of extreme weather. Source: The American Institute of Architects
Image is an illustration created with AI for general context
