HELP Response and Recovery Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section would give the Act two short titles: the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act and the HELP Response and Recovery Act.
Show official text
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act or the HELP Response and Recovery Act .
2: Repeal of obsolete DHS contracting requirements
This section would amend the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 by striking section 695 of that Act (6 U.S.C. 794) in full. Because the entire section would be removed, whatever requirement section 695 imposed on Department of Homeland Security contracting would no longer apply. This section's own heading describes that removed requirement as an obsolete DHS contracting requirement.
Show official text
2. Repeal of obsolete DHS contracting requirements The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 ( Public Law 109–295 ; 120 Stat. 1394) is amended by striking section 695 ( 6 U.S.C. 794 ).
3: Reports
This section would define the term covered period for use in the reports it requires. For the first report, the covered period would run from the date this Act becomes law to the date of that report. For each report after the first, the covered period would run from the date of the most recent prior report to the date of the new report. Not later than 540 days after this Act becomes law, and then annually after that until the date that is 5 years after this Act becomes law, the Secretary of Homeland Security would have to submit a report to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Each report would have to review how the repeal made by section 2 has prevented waste, fraud, and abuse and how it has promoted taxpayer savings. Each report would also have to cover any contract that the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency entered into or extended during the covered period under urgent and compelling circumstances without soliciting bids, and for those contracts would have to include: the number of those contracts; the subject of each contract; the amounts the Administrator obligated for each contract; if applicable, the State that benefited from each contract; and if applicable, the name of the major disaster or emergency for which each contract was entered into or extended.
Show official text
3. Reports (a) Covered period defined In this section, the term covered period means— (1) with respect to an initial report required under subsection (b), the period between the date of enactment of this Act and the date of the report; and (2) with respect to any succeeding report required under subsection (b), the period between the date of the most recent report and the succeeding report. (b) Requirement Not later than 540 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date that is 5 years thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that— (1) reviews how the repeal under section 2 has— (A) prevented waste, fraud, and abuse; and (B) promoted taxpayer savings; and (2) includes, with respect to a contract entered into or extended by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under urgent and compelling circumstances during the covered period for which the Administrator did not solicit bids— (A) the number of those contracts; (B) the subject of each contract; (C) the amounts obligated by the Administrator for each contract; (D) if applicable, the State benefitted by each contract; and (E) if applicable, the name of the major disaster or emergency for which each contract was entered into or extended.