# 119-s-861: Disaster Assistance Simplification Act

119-s-861, Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI); status passed_senate; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-861
- 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-861
- Congress: 119
- Title: Disaster Assistance Simplification Act
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-03-05
- Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Creates a single, standardized federal intake and data-sharing framework for disaster aid** to streamline applications and coordinate how agencies collect and use applicant data. It also builds in privacy, notification, and accountability rules to protect survivors and guide agency cooperation. - Families and disaster survivors would face less paperwork because applicants would not be required to apply to multiple programs and the framework covers individual, business, and organizational applications. - Federal disaster agencies, led by the FEMA Administrator, would follow new agency-certification and data-governance rules that let certified agencies share disaster assistance information across programs and with state, local, and Tribal partners as authorized by law. - Privacy and accountability would be reinforced by required notifications after unauthorized disclosures, agency liability for improper disclosures, remediation steps such as credit monitoring when appropriate, and cooperation with enforcement authorities. - Oversight would include FEMA reports to Congress within 1 year and then annually for 2 years, a Government Accountability Office report within 3 years, and congressional briefings at 90 and 180 days.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] (R-KY), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-04-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- One application for federal disaster aid: benefit, medium. If enacted, FEMA would set up a one-stop intake within 360 days. You would submit one application, track status, update your info, and get proof of your filing. Agencies would be able to message you directly. FEMA would update application questions within 30 days when another disaster agency asks.…
- Reports to Congress on disaster aid: benefit, low. If enacted, FEMA would brief Congress on rollout within 90 days and again within 180 days. FEMA would report on implementation within 1 year and then yearly for 2 years, covering survivor burden and delivery speed. The Government Accountability Office would report within 3 years with recommendation…
- New rules for sharing disaster data: mixed, medium. If enacted, FEMA would share your disaster application data with other disaster agencies to speed help. FEMA would post a public notice that lists what data is shared, why it is needed, and which agencies get access. Using the unified application would count as your written consent for this sharing…
- Faster information collection after disasters: mixed, low. If enacted, during a presidentially declared disaster, FEMA would be able to waive normal Paperwork Reduction Act steps for voluntary, disaster‑specific questions. The waiver would last for the entire assistance period of performance. FEMA would post a short justification and the affected agencies…

## Related bills

- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.
- 119-sres-735: A resolution designating the week of May 10 through May 16, 2026, as "National Police Week".

## Sources
- [119-s-861 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/861)

## Related
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [119-sres-735: A resolution designating the week of May 10 through May 16, 2026, as "National…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-735)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-861 (as of 2026-07-25).