Sponsor
Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen
Representative · R-AS
Representative · R-AS
The bill speeds emergency purchases and reduces federal oversight for territories and DC to improve rapid disaster response, but raises risks of higher costs and weaker transparency and fraud protections for those emergency contracts.
Residents and local governments in Puerto Rico, DC, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands can use their own procurement rules during Stafford Act emergencies, enabling faster local purchases and contracting to accelerate disaster response.
Reduces FEMA oversight requirements for territorial and DC procurements during emergencies, lowering administrative delays and allowing local authorities to act more quickly.
Territorial and DC procurements may face less competitive procurement rules, increasing the risk of higher costs for taxpayers or lower value for emergency purchases.
Reduced application of federal procurement standards could weaken transparency and fraud safeguards for emergency contracts in affected jurisdictions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars FEMA from requiring Title 41 procurement rules for purchases/contracts by Puerto Rico, DC, American Samoa, and USVI during presidential Stafford Act emergencies.
Official title: To waive certain provisions in the case of an emergency declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen · Last progress January 9, 2025
Prohibits FEMA’s Administrator from requiring that Title 41 (federal procurement rules) apply to purchases or contracts made or issued by Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands when the President declares an emergency under the Stafford Act. In other words, during such Stafford Act emergencies those four jurisdictions may procure goods and services without being bound by Title 41 purchasing rules for those emergency-related procurements.