Recent disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the wildfires in California, have underscored the need to support and strengthen our national recovery framework.

In 2021, FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) wrote regulations that excluded self-employed workers from eligibility of FEMA's tool assistance program. This regulatory action has denied access to critical assistance that would help workers get back to work faster after a disaster and in emergency recovery. We have been working with CERF+, the nation's leading nonprofit organization focused on safeguarding artists' livelihoods, in pursuing a change to allow self-employed workers to be eligible for tool replacement assistance.

After a disaster, we know that it is imperative that workers quickly secure the tools they need to earn a living, so they can salvage their businesses. Data shows that this assistance would also be a cost-saving measure for the government by enabling self-employed workers to get back to work more quickly and stay off public assistance during disaster recovery.