Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Senator Hassan to Save Taxpayer Dollars, Help FEMA Improve its Ability to Efficiently and Effectively Respond to Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan, ranking member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee, applauded Senate passage of the bipartisan Federal Advance Contracts Enhancement Act, which Senator Hassan cosponsored to help save taxpayer dollars and improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) ability to efficiently and effectively respond to natural disasters.

The bipartisan legislation would require FEMA to more effectively use and manage its advance contracts for goods and services. Advance contracts help the federal government quickly mobilize resources to affected areas in the aftermath of a disaster. The bipartisan legislation was introduced after a Government Accountability Office report found a number of issues with FEMA’s use and management of advance contracts.

“When a natural disaster hits, the federal government must respond as quickly as possible, and advance contracts can help rapidly get goods and services out to the affected areas,” Senator Hassan said. “Better management of advance contracts will save taxpayer dollars, and also help FEMA better plan ahead to ensure that critical resources get where they are needed without delay.”

As ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee’s Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee, Senator Hassan has prioritized saving taxpayer dollars and improving government accountability. The Committee recently passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Hassan and Rand Paul (R-KY) to help assess if new legislation creates duplicative or overlapping features of existing government programs, as well as bipartisan legislation she introduced with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) that requires the federal government to compile a public database detailing the costs and purposes of government programs, enabling Congress to increase transparency and curb wasteful spending. Earlier this year, Senator Hassan joined in introducing the bipartisan Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act to end erroneous payments the federal government makes to deceased individuals.

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