S 594
· 119th Congress
· Emergency Management
HELP Response and Recovery Act
Sponsor
Latest action
Held at the desk.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Dec 17, 2025
floor
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 17, 2025
floor
Received in the House.
Dec 17, 2025
floor
Held at the desk.
Dec 16, 2025
passed
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Dec 16, 2025
passed
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8764-8765; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S8764-8765)
Nov 03, 2025
committee
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Nov 03, 2025
other
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 252.
Jul 30, 2025
committee
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Feb 13, 2025
introduced
Introduced in Senate
Feb 13, 2025
introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
CRS summaries
Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.
00
Introduced in Senate
Feb 13, 2025
Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act or the HELP Response and Recovery Act
This bill extends the maximum duration of noncompetitive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contracts for disaster response and recovery from 150 days to one year by repealing a current limitation on such DHS contracts so that standard procurement regulations apply regarding urgent needs. It also requires DHS to report to Congress annually for five years to review how this repeal has prevented waste and provide information on noncompetitive Federal Emergency Management Agency contracts.
via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+8
−82
32 unchanged
--- Reported (Senate)
+++ Engrossed (Senate)
@@ -1,93 +1,21 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[S. 594 Reported in Senate (RS)]
+[S. 594 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
-Calendar No. 252
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 594
-To amend the Post-Katrina Management Reform Act of 2006 to repeal
-certain obsolete requirements, and for other purposes.
-
_______________________________________________________________________
-IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
-
-February 13, 2025
-
-Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) introduced the following bill;
-which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
-and Governmental Affairs
-
-November 3, 2025
-
-Reported by Mr. Paul, with an amendment
-[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
-in italic]
-
-_______________________________________________________________________
-
-A BILL
+AN ACT
To amend the Post-Katrina Management Reform Act of 2006 to repeal
certain obsolete requirements, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
-
-<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
-
-<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Eliminate
-Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act'' or the ``HELP
-Response and Recovery Act''.</DELETED>
-
-<DELETED>SEC. 2. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE DHS CONTRACTING
-REQUIREMENTS.</DELETED>
-
-<DELETED> 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).</DELETED>
-
-<DELETED>SEC. 3. REPORTS.</DELETED>
-
-<DELETED> (a) Covered Period Defined.--In this section, the term
-``covered period'' means--</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (1) reviews how the repeal under section 2 has--
-</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (A) prevented waste, fraud, and abuse;
-and</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (B) promoted taxpayer savings;
-and</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (A) the number of those
-contracts;</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (B) the subject of each
-contract;</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (C) the amounts obligated by the
-Administrator for each contract;</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (D) if applicable, the State benefitted by
-each contract; and</DELETED>
-<DELETED> (E) if applicable, the name of the major
-disaster or emergency for which each contract was
-entered into or extended.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
@@ -134,8 +62,12 @@
(E) if applicable, the name of the major disaster
or emergency for which each contract was entered into
or extended.
-Calendar No. 252
+Passed the Senate December 16, 2025.
+
+Attest:
+
+Secretary.
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
@@ -144,13 +76,7 @@
_______________________________________________________________________
-A BILL
+AN ACT
To amend the Post-Katrina Management Reform Act of 2006 to repeal
certain obsolete requirements, and for other purposes.
-
-_______________________________________________________________________
-
-November 3, 2025
-
-Reported with an amendment
Cosponsors (1)
Members who signed on to support this bill.