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REPLACE Act
3/13/2025, 4:23 AM
Summary of Bill HR 1338
This amendment is significant because it would alleviate financial burdens for individuals and families who are already facing the challenges of recovering from a major disaster. By automatically waiving these fees, affected individuals and households would not have to worry about additional costs when trying to access the assistance they need to rebuild their lives.
Overall, this bill seeks to streamline the process for disaster recovery assistance and ensure that those who are most in need are able to receive the help they require without unnecessary financial barriers. It is a step towards making the recovery process smoother and more efficient for those who have been impacted by major disasters.
Congressional Summary of HR 1338
Replacing Essential Passports and Licenses After Certain Emergencies Act or the REPLACE Act
This bill automatically waives the fees to replace certain federal documents (e.g., passports, visas, or immigration documents) destroyed by a major disaster.
Under current law, the Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may waive replacement fees for these critical documents for individuals or households adversely affected by a major disaster. The bill requires the State Department and USCIS to waive these replacement fees when the documents are destroyed by a major disaster for which assistance is provided under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program. The agencies must notify the public of the availability of these waivers on their respective websites.
The bill also requires the State Department and USCIS to annually report to Congress the number of such fee waivers granted and the resulting cost to the respective agencies.
