§5196b Contributions for personnel and administrative expenses

Summary

The Administrator may give money to States to help pay for essential emergency-preparedness staff and administrative costs. The federal share cannot be more than one-half of the total cost. To get money, a State must have an approved plan that matches federal emergency plans. The plan must apply across the whole State, be run by one State agency, share other funding sources, include operational plans and a catastrophic incident annex, hire a full-time emergency preparedness director or deputy, provide reports and records for audits, and include a way to give coordinated information to the public. The catastrophic annex must follow the National Response Plan model and be consistent with the national preparedness goal, the National Incident Management System, and related plans. States must talk with local governments and responders when making that annex. Each fiscal year the Administrator divides the available funds among the States under rules tied to the total money appropriated. The allocation rules must consider area criticality, each State’s preparedness level, population, and other factors the Administrator sets. The Administrator can reallocate funds a State does not use. If a State does not submit its plan within 60 days after being told its allocation, the Administrator may move those funds to other States. Funds must be spent only for the listed purposes. The law also says sections 5196(h) and 5197(h) apply, and the Administrator must report yearly to Congress on the contributions.