Two Senate committees will vote on a flurry of bills this week, including legislation to streamline disaster assistance and bolster certain conservation and weather initiatives.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday will debate S. 861, the “Disaster Assistance Simplification Act,” to consolidate disaster relief processes across agencies by creating one unified application that victims can use when seeking assistance.
The bipartisan measure, from Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and ranking member Gary Peters (D-Mich.), passed the Senate in the last Congress, but was not taken up by the House. It was endorsed by a number of disaster relief nonprofit groups in 2024 in the wake of hurricanes Milton and Helene.
“By creating one universal application to get federal help to recover from natural disasters, this bipartisan legislation will reduce the burden on disaster survivors seeking help to rebuild their lives,” Peters said in 2023.
