# 119-s-594: HELP Response and Recovery Act

119-s-594, HELP Response and Recovery Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI); status passed_senate (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-594
- As of: 2026-07-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-594
- Congress: 119
- Title: HELP Response and Recovery Act
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-13
- Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Repeals an obsolete DHS contracting rule and creates new reporting on FEMA urgent no-bid contracts.** The law requires the Department of Homeland Security to report whether the repeal reduced waste, fraud, or abuse and whether it promoted taxpayer savings, and to provide detailed contract information for review. - FEMA: Removes section 695 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act and shifts oversight toward reporting on contracts entered or extended under urgent and compelling circumstances where bids were not solicited. - States and disaster responders: Reports must list the State benefitted and the named major disaster or emergency for each applicable contract, giving clearer records of who received contract support. - Congress, watchdogs, and taxpayers: The Secretary of Homeland Security must submit an initial report within 2 years and then annual reports through 5 years after enactment. Each report must include contract counts, subjects, amounts obligated, and an assessment of waste, fraud, abuse, and taxpayer savings.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Changes to FEMA emergency contracting: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would repeal an old Department of Homeland Security contracting rule. FEMA and other DHS offices would no longer have to follow that rule when buying under urgent needs. Within 2 years of enactment, and then once a year until 5 years after enactment, DHS would send Congress re…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-93: Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025
- 119-s-873: Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-s-594 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/594)

## Related
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2975: PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2975)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-93: Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-93)
- [119-s-873: Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-873)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-594 (as of 2026-07-25).