§611 — Title 6 Domestic Security | U.S. Code

Summary

The Administrator must make sure that people and places who get Department grants to prevent, prepare for, protect against, or respond to natural disasters, terrorism, or other man-made disasters coordinate with nearby State, local, and tribal governments. Grants described in the paragraph do not include help given under section 203, title IV, or title V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5170 et seq., and 5191 et seq.). If a grant covers a high-risk urban area or crosses more than one State, the Administrator must also make sure those places work together across State lines, for example by using regional working groups and regional plans. States and high-risk urban areas that get grants under section 604 or 605 must set up a State planning committee or an urban area working group to help write and update homeland security plans, do threat and risk assessments, and decide how to spend grant money. Those groups must include at least one person from each key stakeholder area — local or tribal officials; emergency responders (fire, law enforcement, EMS, emergency managers); public health and medical professionals; schools and colleges; interoperable communications coordinators; and fusion centers — and should represent the State’s counties, cities, towns, and tribes, including rural, large, and high-threat places. If a State or area already uses a multijurisdictional committee that meets these rules, it does not have to make a new one. Congress thinks the Department should run a clear, coordinated system that covers both terrorism-focused and all-hazards grants. Funding should stay balanced between terrorism-focused and all-hazards efforts, as reflected in the authorizations in Titles I and II of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. For terrorism-focused grants, the goal is to quickly build target capabilities in the highest-risk areas and to reach basic preparedness levels nationwide, measured by those target capabilities.

Title 6, §611

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator shall ensure that—

(1)all recipients of grants administered by the Department to prevent, prepare for, protect against, or respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters (excluding assistance provided under section 203, title IV, or title V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5170 et seq., and 5191 et seq.)) coordinate, as appropriate, their prevention, preparedness, and protection efforts with neighboring State, local, and tribal governments; and

(2)all high-risk urban areas and other recipients of grants administered by the Department to prevent, prepare for, protect against, or respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters (excluding assistance provided under section 203, title IV, or title V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5170 et seq., and 5191 et seq.)) that include or substantially affect parts or all of more than 1 State coordinate, as appropriate, across State boundaries, including, where appropriate, through the use of regional working groups and requirements for regional plans.

(b)(1)Any State or high-risk urban area receiving a grant under section 604 or 605 of this title shall establish a State planning committee or urban area working group to assist in preparation and revision of the State, regional, or local homeland security plan or the threat and hazard identification and risk assessment, as the case may be, and to assist in determining effective funding priorities for grants under such sections.

(2)(A)The State planning committees and urban area working groups referred to in paragraph (1) shall include at least one representative from each of the following significant stakeholders:

(i)Local or tribal government officials.

(ii)Emergency response providers, which shall include representatives of the fire service, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and emergency managers.

(iii)Public health officials and other appropriate medical practitioners.

(iv)Individuals representing educational institutions, including elementary schools, community colleges, and other institutions of higher education.

(v)State and regional interoperable communications coordinators, as appropriate.

(vi)State and major urban area fusion centers, as appropriate.

(B)The members of the State planning committee or urban area working group, as the case may be, shall be a representative group of individuals from the counties, cities, towns, and Indian tribes within the State or high-risk urban area, including, as appropriate, representatives of rural, high-population, and high-threat jurisdictions.

(3)Nothing in this subsection may be construed to require that any State or high-risk urban area create a State planning committee or urban area working group, as the case may be, if that State or high-risk urban area has established and uses a multijurisdictional planning committee or commission that meets the requirements of this subsection.

(c)It is the sense of Congress that, in order to ensure that the Nation is most effectively able to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters—

(1)the Department should administer a coherent and coordinated system of both terrorism-focused and all-hazards grants;

(2)there should be a continuing and appropriate balance between funding for terrorism-focused and all-hazards preparedness, as reflected in the authorizations of appropriations for grants under the amendments made by titles I and II, as applicable, of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007; and

(3)with respect to terrorism-focused grants, it is necessary to ensure both that the target capabilities of the highest risk areas are achieved quickly and that basic levels of preparedness, as measured by the attainment of target capabilities, are achieved nationwide.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 93–288, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 143. section 203 of the Act is classified to section 5133 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. Titles IV and V of the Act are classified generally to subchapters IV (§ 5170 et seq.) and IV–A (§ 5191 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 68 of Title 42. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5121 of Title 42 and Tables. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), is Pub. L. 110–53, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 266. Title I of the Act enacted this subchapter and amended section 318, 321a, 594, 596, and 752 of this title. Title II of the Act amended section 762 of this title and section 5196c of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of titles I and II to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

2018—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 115–278 redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) related to interagency coordination. 2016—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–328 amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) related to planning committees to assist in preparation and revision of State, regional, or local homeland security plans, and to assist in determining effective funding priorities for grants under section 604 and 605 of this title.

§611 Administration and Coordination