S.Amdt. 2023

1. Adds SEC. __. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON AUTHORITIES APPLICABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RESPONSE TO INCIDENTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. __. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON AUTHORITIES APPLICABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RESPONSE TO INCIDENTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

   Inserted: (a) Report Required.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the officials and committees of Congress referred to in paragraph (2) a report setting forth the authorities governing or otherwise applicable to the Department of Defense response to incidents of national significance.

   Inserted: (2) Officials and committees.--The officials and committees of Congress referred to in this paragraph are--

   Inserted: (A) the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

   Inserted: (B) the President pro tempore of the Senate;

   Inserted: (C) the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and

   Inserted: (D) the Secretary of Defense.

   Inserted: (b) Report Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

   Inserted: (1) A description of the authorities in Federal law governing or otherwise applicable to the Department of Defense response to incidents of national significance, including any authorities in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).

   Inserted: (2) A description of the authorities, responsibilities, and missions afforded the Department of Defense in responding to incidents of national significance under current Administration directives and guidelines, including Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, the National Response Plan, Department of Defense Directive 3025.1, and Department of Defense Joint Publications 3-07 and 3-26.

   Inserted: (3) A description of the authorities, responsibilities, and missions afforded the Department of Defense under Federal law (including the provisions of title 32, United States Code) and current Administration directives and guidelines for coordinating the mobilization and deployment of National Guard units in responding to incidents of national significance, including the mobilization and deployment of National Guard units in State status.

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   Inserted: (4) A description and assessment of Department of Defense operations in response to previous domestic major national disasters, including the following:

   Inserted: (A) The earthquake in San Francisco, California, in 1994.

   Inserted: (B) The flood in the Midwest in 1993.

   Inserted: (C) Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

   Inserted: (D) Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

   Inserted: (E) The flood of the Mississippi River in 1927.

   Inserted: (F) The Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906.

   Inserted: (5) The assessment of the Comptroller General as to whether or not the authorities governing or otherwise applicable to the Department of Defense response to incidents of national significance, and the current Administration directives and guidelines on the authority, responsibilities, and mission afforded the Department in responding to such incidents, are adequate to permit the Department to respond effectively to incidents of national significance.

   Inserted: (6) The assessment of the Comptroller General as to whether or not the Department of Defense fully exercised its authorities, and fully discharged its responsibilities and missions, during the Department response to Hurricane Katrina.

   Inserted: (c) Prohibition on Modification of Authority, Responsibilities, or Missions.--No authority, responsibility, or mission of or applicable to the Department of Defense response to incidents of national significance may be modified during period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date of the submittal to the officials and committees of Congress referred to in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of the report required by paragraph (1) of that subsection.

   Inserted: (d) Incident of National Significance Defined.--In this section, the term "incident of national significance"--

   Inserted: (1) means an incident of national significance as defined in the White House National Response Plan, issued December 2004, and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8; and

   Inserted: (2) includes disasters declared in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) and emergencies declared in accordance with section 501 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 5191).

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   Original wording

   At the appropriate place, insert the following:

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As printed