Earthquake Resilience Act

HR 2568, the Earthquake Resilience Act, requires a national risk assessment within two years of enactment to identify progress and remaining gaps in community earthquake resilience, led by NIST with FEMA, NSF, and USGS collaboration. It updates the 1977 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act to mandate new standards for post-earthquake recovery of essential services (like water and power) and includes real-time data from global navigation satellite systems in hazard monitoring. The bill directly affects federal agencies managing disaster resilience and communities seeking to strengthen infrastructure against earthquakes. Key mechanisms include the mandatory assessment report and revised requirements for developing recovery-focused infrastructure standards. This focuses on measurable improvements to how communities prepare for and recover from seismic events.