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H.R. 42 116th Congress House

FRIENDS Act

Official title: To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a study on the circumstances which may impact the effectiveness and availability of first responders be… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a study on the circumstances which may impact the effectiveness and availability of first responders before, during, or after a terrorist threat or event, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 3, 2019 See on congress.gov
Emergency Management Congressional oversightEmergency planning and evacuationFirst responders and emergency personnelGovernment studies and investigations
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Performance measurementTerrorism
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 7, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Feb 4, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
Jan 3, 2019
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jan 3, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action February 7, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations or the FRIENDS Act

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report that describes select state and local programs and policies related to the preparedness and protection of first responders, which may include information on:

  • the degree to which such programs and policies include consideration of the presence of a first responder's family in an area impacted by a terrorist attack,
  • the availability of personal protective equipment for first responders, and
  • the availability of home Medkits for first responders and their families for biological incident response.

The GAO may provide information: (1) in a format that delineates high risk urban areas from rural communities; and (2) on the degree to which the selected state and local programs and policies were developed or are being executed with funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including grants from the State Homeland Security Grant Program or the Urban Area Security Initiative.

DHS shall consider the report's findings and assess its applicability for federal first responders.

 Related & companion bills 3
  • HR 58 Reintroduction of FRIENDS Act
  • HR 141 Reintroduced Bill FRIENDS Act
  • HR 3060 FEMA Modernization Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 42: FRIENDS Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-42/
MLA
"H.R. 42: FRIENDS Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-42/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 42, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-42/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 42: FRIENDS Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-42/)
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