Proposed Bill Would Revise DHS Contracting Standards
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Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), proposed a bill that would bolster federal disaster response efforts by repealing some “obsolete” requirements in the Department of Homeland Security's federal contracts. HSGAC Ranking Member Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) joined Senator Peters to introduce the legislation.
Specifically, the Repeal of Obsolete DHS Contracting Requirements Act would address a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 that prohibits the use of subcontractors for more than 65 percent of certain DHS emergency response and recovery contracts. Senator Peters contends that the section conflicts with provisions of the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that limit subcontracting to 70 percent of contract costs.
“Providing FEMA officials and contractors with different subcontracting requirements than other federal agencies not only causes confusion, it also hampers our nation’s disaster response,” the Chairman stated, “This bipartisan bill will strengthen our nation’s federal disaster response and provide clear guidance to federal officials and contractors responsible for helping Americans recover from natural disasters.”
Last month, Senator Peters introduced two pieces of legislation that work in tandem with this effort. The Disaster Resiliency Planning Act requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop guidelines requiring federal agencies to consider natural disaster resilience when managing assets and making investment decisions. Second, the Achieving Equity in Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act establishes an Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In recent years, the Senator Peters helped secure funds for an initiative designed to assist states in establishing revolving loan programs for local governments implementing mitigation projects to reduce disaster risks.
This past December, Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) drafted legislation with Peters that would require federal agencies to track and publish disaster and emergency expenses on USAspending.gov. The Disclosing All Spending That Ensures Relief (DISASTER) Act would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Treasury to facilitate the tracking of all federal agencies' disaster and emergency relief spending.