Title 15Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73

§636g Development and implementation of major disaster response plan

Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 14A— - AID TO SMALL BUSINESS › § 636g

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Administrator must, within 3 months after this Act becomes law, update the Administration’s 2006 Atlantic hurricane season disaster response plan so it applies to major disasters and send a report to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the House Committee on Small Business describing the changes. The report must cover updates since July 14, 2006 and explain how District Office staff will be used for loans, the agency’s scalability model, the Disaster Oversight Council’s structure and membership (including whether the Associate Deputy Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development is a member), how the agency will coordinate with State and local officials and incorporate State programs, ways to coordinate with other governments and agencies, any surge plan for the disaster loan program in effect on or after August 29, 2005 (covering loss verification, loan processing, mailroom, customer service/call centers, and continuity), staffing levels and job descriptions, training procedures, logistical support plans (equipment, staffing, and scalability), findings about the agency’s response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma (2005), and a plan to work with FEMA to provide housing and resources for disaster staff. The Administrator must run a disaster simulation at least once every 2 fiscal years. Each exercise must include at least 50 percent of the disaster reserve corps and must test all critical information technology and telecommunications systems at full capacity. The Administration must report on these exercises each time it files the report required under section 657o.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §636g

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Not later than 3 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall—
(1)by rule, amend the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season disaster response plan of the Administration (in this section referred to as the “disaster response plan”) to apply to major disasters; and
(2)submit a report to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives detailing the amendments to the disaster response plan.
(b)The report required under subsection (a)(2) shall include—
(1)any updates or modifications made to the disaster response plan since the report regarding the disaster response plan submitted to Congress on July 14, 2006;
(2)a description of how the Administrator plans to use and integrate District Office personnel of the Administration in the response to a major disaster, including information on the use of personnel for loan processing and loan disbursement;
(3)a description of the disaster scalability model of the Administration and on what basis or function the plan is scaled;
(4)a description of how the agency-wide Disaster Oversight Council is structured, which offices comprise its membership, and whether the Associate Deputy Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development of the Administration is a member;
(5)a description of how the Administrator plans to coordinate the disaster efforts of the Administration with State and local government officials, including recommendations on how to better incorporate State initiatives or programs, such as State-administered bridge loan programs, into the disaster response of the Administration;
(6)recommendations, if any, on how the Administration can better coordinate its disaster response operations with the operations of other Federal, State, and local entities;
(7)any surge plan for the disaster loan program of the Administration in effect on or after August 29, 2005 (including surge plans for loss verification, loan processing, mailroom, customer service or call center operations, and a continuity of operations plan);
(8)the number of full-time equivalent employees and job descriptions for the planning and disaster response staff of the Administration;
(9)the in-service and preservice training procedures for disaster response staff of the Administration;
(10)information on the logistical support plans of the Administration (including equipment and staffing needs, and detailed information on how such plans will be scalable depending on the size and scope of the major disaster 11 So in original. Probably should be followed by a closing parenthesis.;
(11)a description of the findings and recommendations of the Administrator, if any, based on a review of the response of the Administration to Hurricane Katrina of 2005, Hurricane Rita of 2005, and Hurricane Wilma of 2005; and
(12)a plan for how the Administrator, in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will coordinate the provision of accommodations and necessary resources for disaster assistance personnel to effectively perform their responsibilities in the aftermath of a major disaster.
(c)(1)The Administrator shall conduct a disaster simulation exercise at least once every 2 fiscal years. The exercise shall include the participation of, at a minimum, not less than 50 percent of the individuals in the disaster reserve corps and shall test, at maximum capacity, all of the information technology and telecommunications systems of the Administration that are vital to the activities of the Administration during such a disaster.
(2)The Administrator shall include a report on the disaster simulation exercises conducted under paragraph (1) each time the Administration submits a report required under section 657o of this title, as added by this Act.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of this Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–246, which was approved June 18, 2008. section 657o of this title, as added by this Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), is section 657o of this title, as added by Pub. L. 110–246. Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246. Section was enacted as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and also as part of the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2008, and not as part of the Small Business Act which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of Title 7, Agriculture.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 636g

Title 15Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73