S. 861 · 119th Congress
Disaster Assistance Simplification Act
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Passed the Senate without a recorded vote. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record how each member voted. Its text can still change before it becomes law.
D
PetersSponsor5 cosponsors · 5 R
3 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
- Senate Introduced Mar 5, 2025
- Senate Passed Dec 16, 2025
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop and establish a unified intake process and system for applicants for assistance provided by a disaster assistance agency.
What it does: CRS summary · Passed Senate · Dec 16, 2025
Disaster Assistance Simplification Act
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop and establish a unified intake process and system for applicants for assistance provided by a disaster assistance agency.
The system must
- facilitate a consolidated application for any form of disaster assistance provided by a disaster assistance agency when appropriate to support the nature and purposes of the assistance;
- carry out the purposes of disaster assistance programs swiftly, efficiently, equitably, and in accordance with specified laws and privacy and data protections; and
- support the detection, prevention, and investigation of waste, fraud, abuse, or discrimination in the administration of disaster assistance programs.
Further, the system must, among other things
- accept applications for disaster assistance programs;
- permit applicants to receive status updates on such applications;
- allow applicants to update disaster assistance information throughout their recovery journeys;
- permit the distribution of information on additional recovery resources to disaster survivors that may be available in a disaster-stricken jurisdiction in coordination with appropriate federal, state, local, and tribal partners; and
- permit disaster assistance agencies to communicate directly with disaster survivors.
Not later than 30 days after receiving a request from a disaster assistance agency to update questions in the consolidated application needed to administer the disaster assistance programs of the agency, FEMA must make those updates.
The bill requires reports and congressional briefings from FEMA, and a report from the Government Accountability Office, relating to the bill's implementation.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Disaster Assistance Simplification Act
Latest action (Dec 17, 2025): Held at the desk.
Policy area: Emergency Management · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Mar 5, 2025
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
- Senate Introduced Mar 5, 2025
- Senate Passed Dec 16, 2025
No recorded floor vote found.