Federal Disaster Assistance Improvement Act

This bill allows counties to directly request federal disaster declarations from the President if their governor fails to do so or excludes them from a state-level request. It establishes new criteria for county requests, requiring consideration of factors like poverty rates, unemployment, community vulnerability, and prior disaster impacts. FEMA must now monitor events affecting underserved communities (e.g., low-income or minority areas) that qualify for aid but lack a gubernatorial request, and incorporate equity metrics like income levels into assistance evaluations. The law also mandates FEMA to review how equity considerations affect aid distribution for vulnerable populations.