Peters Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve Federal Government’s Response to Emergencies

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Senator Gary Peters(D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to repeal an outdated section of thePost-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA). The legislation would ensure uninterrupted support to disaster survivors following an emergency and improve the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ability to respond to emergencies.
Current law limits the duration of non-competitive emergency contracts for DHS and FEMA, which are tasked with coordinating emergency response efforts, while other federal agencies follow more recently updated changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The senators’ bill would repeal this outdated section of the law to align the deadlines for DHS emergency contracts with the deadlines the rest of the government already follows, removing roadblocks to getting support to communities in need.
“As natural disasters continue to affect communities across the nation, it is imperative that the federal government is able to help those in need efficiently and effectively,”said Senator Peters.“This bill would ensure that DHS can streamline the process of helping disaster survivors rebuild their lives in the wake of these tragedies.”
The bipartisanHelping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Actaddresses outdated restrictions on emergency contracts that currently apply only to DHS. These restrictions, established by Section 695 of thePost-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act(PKEMRA), limit emergency contracts to 150 days, despite newer government-wide regulations allowing such contracts to extend up to one year. This alignment with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), based on section 862 of the FY 2009National Defense Authorization Actrenders section 695 obsolete, ensuring timely delivery of critical services during emergencies.
The original bill has been endorsed by several national and international disaster management leaders, including those from the International Association of Emergency Managers, the Disaster Recovery Coalition of America, the National Emergency Management Association.
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