Safe Shelters Act of 2025

This legislation, titled the Safe Shelters Act of 2025 , aims to prevent certain sex offenders from utilizing general emergency shelters during disaster situations. Specifically, a covered sex offender —defined as someone required to register on the National Sex Offender Registry—is prohibited from entering or using the services of an undesignated shelter, except to inquire about designated alternatives. Upon entering an undesignated shelter, such an offender must immediately notify staff of their registration status, and staff must then provide information on designated shelters and the prohibition. Failure to comply with these rules can result in a fine, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. To accommodate these individuals, the bill authorizes the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to designate Federal buildings or prisons as designated shelters exclusively for covered sex offenders during a disaster. The General Services Administration and the Bureau of Prisons are tasked with providing lists of available facilities to FEMA for this purpose. FEMA is also responsible for distributing information about these designated shelters to all undesignated emergency shelters, ensuring that staff can properly inform sex offenders of their options.