FEMA Act

To establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency as an independent agency, and for other purposes.

5/22/2008--Introduced.
Federal Emergency Management Advancement Act of 2008 or the FEMA Act - Reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent establishment in the executive branch. Requires FEMA to be headed by a Director appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Designates the Director as the principal advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Homeland Security for all matters relating to emergency management in the United States. Directs the President to designate the Director to serve as a Cabinet member in the event of specified disasters. Establishes as FEMA's primary mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards, including natural and man-made disasters, through a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.
Prescribes the Director's responsibilities. Provides for 10 regional offices. Requires each Regional Administrator to:
(1) establish a Regional Advisory Council; and
(2) oversee multi-agency strike teams. Establishes a National Operations Center. Requires the Director to:
(1) establish Area Offices in appropriate Regional Offices;
(2) defer to substantiating documentation submitted by states in determining the duration of a major disaster and in establishing the eligibility period for assistance;
(3) establish and implement the voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and certification program;
(4) ensure that the National Response Plan provides for a clear chain of command to lead and coordinate the federal response to disasters; and
(5) enter into a memorandum of understanding with specified individuals to collaborate on developing standards for deployment capabilities. Transfers specified functions and personnel to FEMA. Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to make necessary determinations regarding such functions and incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, and property.


... morehide bill summarySee Full Bill Text

Sponsor

• Rep. Tom Cole [R, OK-4]

Committees

• House Transportation and Infrastructure
• 4 more
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure
  • House Homeland Security
  • House Homeland Security
  • House Homeland Security
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.6147

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

Make a Bill Status Widget (Close help)

OpenCongress widgets allow you to display information about bills and issue areas on your own website or blog. First, select which bill or issue you want to track, then customize the appearance of the panel, and finally paste a simple chunk of HTML into your site. Now your community will have an easy, up-to-date way to track the status of important bills and issues in Congress.

Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
May 22, 2008

Show All Actions (7 actions)Hide Actions

All Bill Actions

• Jun 02, 2008: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response.
• Jun 02, 2008: Referred to the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight.
• May 23, 2008: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
• May 22, 2008: Referred to House Homeland Security
• May 22, 2008: Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure
• May 22, 2008: 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.
• Introduced on May 22, 2008.

---

Related Bills:

• S.1427
• S.2214

Data from the Congressional Research Service

Show More User Statistics... Hide User Statistics

In the News

We are not currently finding any news articles on this topic using our daily automated search of Google News. However, if you know of a relevant news article to display here, OpenCongress site editors have the ability to add it manually. Simply e-mail us the web address of this page and the web address of your suggested news article: We'll post relevant links as quickly as possible. Also, if this topic is important to you, you could write a letter to the editor -- if a news article refers this specific topic by name, a link to that news article is likely to appear here soon.

Blog Coverage

May 21, 2008 HR 6147, To establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency as ...

HR 6147 would establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency as an independent agency.... Vote on This Bill: For | Against.

Was this article useful? Yes or No

Source: WashingtonWatch.com - Welcome to WashingtonWatc...

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

See most useful blog posts

Information made available by: