WASHINGTON – In a significant bipartisan move, the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) unanimously passed the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt (HELP) Response and Recovery Act, a bill introduced by Senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of HSGAC. The legislation aims to enhance the efficiency and promptness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in responding to disasters and emergencies.
The HELP Response and Recovery Act focuses on streamlining the collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the private sector to improve emergency response efforts. Senator Kennedy expressed satisfaction with the committee’s unanimous approval, stating, “I’m glad to see that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously passed our common-sense solution to help the private sector and DHS work better together to respond to emergencies.”
One of the key provisions of the bipartisan bill is the repeal of Section 695 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. This particular section imposes restrictions on the duration of non-competitive DHS contracts for urgent and compelling requirements, limiting them to 150 days. The repeal aims to eliminate this constraint, aligning DHS deadlines for emergency contracts with the current government-wide rules that allow contracts of up to one year.
Senator Kennedy expressed optimism about the bill’s progress, looking ahead to its consideration by the full Senate. “I look forward to the Senate sending this critical bill to the House so that Louisianians and all Americans get the help they need when disaster strikes,” he said.
