The Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act (TERRA Act) (H.R.3654) is a bill that would streamline and coordinate federal programs to help Tribal Nations prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters and other related threats. Despite the federal trust and treaty obligation, federal resources to prepare for and mitigate these threats are often complicated and inaccessible to Tribal Nations. Specifically, Tribes must often navigate a complex web of programs scattered among dozens of federal agencies. Even if federal resources are gathered, red tape makes it difficult to utilize them to their fullest extent, given their burdensome, inconsistent, and duplicative program requirements. Ultimately, needed projects are often delayed.
The TERRA Act would create a central hub within the Department of the Interior (DOI) to serve as a navigational tool and a federal partner for Tribes facing natural disaster threats. Modeled on the successful P.L. 102-477 program, the TERRA Act gives Tribes the opportunity to develop disaster resiliency plans that combine federal resources from multiple agencies into comprehensive solutions tailored to each community’s specific needs. The TERRA Act reduces bureaucracy by streamlining federal oversight. Under a TERRA plan, only one annual report would be required, and agencies could waive, modify, or streamline other program restrictions, such as Tribal cost-shares, partnerships with non-Tribal entities, funding formulas, deadlines, environmental reviews, and more. Altogether, this would allow Tribal Nations to more effectively prevent and respond to natural disasters by eliminating bureaucratic overhead and centering Tribal sovereignty.
The bill was introduced by Representative Emily Randall (D-WA) and is co-sponsored by eleven bipartisan lawmakers. The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a hearing on the bill on September 9, 2025. Additional Tribal support will be helpful in getting this bill across the finish line in the 119th Congress. Please let us know if you would like our assistance drafting a letter to your member of Congress or a resolution in support of the TERRA Act.
