II 

Calendar No. 638 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4488 

[Report No. 117–254] 

To establish an interagency committee on global catastrophic risk, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 23, 2022 

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mr. PETERS, Mr. CORNYN, and Ms. HASSAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

DECEMBER 13, 2022 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To establish an interagency committee on global catastrophic 

risk, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Catastrophic 

5 Risk Management Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BASIC NEED.—The term ‘‘basic need’’— 

4 (A) means any good, service, or activity 

5 necessary to protect the health, safety, and gen6 eral welfare of the civilian population of the 

7 United States; and 

8 (B) includes— 

9 (i) food; 

10 (ii) water; 

11 (iii) shelter; 

12 (iv) basic communication services; and 

13 (v) public safety. 

14 (2) CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT.—The term ‘‘cat15 astrophic incident’’ means an incident, whether 

16 caused by human or natural events, in which mul17 tiple levels of United States critical infrastructure 

18 are destroyed, damaged or interrupted in sufficient 

19 magnitude to threaten the health, safety, or general 

20 welfare of the civilian population of the United 

21 States. 

22 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘committee’’ 

23 means the interagency committee on global cata24 strophic risk established under section 3. 

25 (4) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

26 ‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given the 


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1 term in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infrastruc2 ture Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)). 

3 (5) EXISTENTIAL RISK.—The term ‘‘existential 

4 risk’’ means the risk of human extinction. 

5 (6) GLOBAL CATASTROPHIC RISK.—The term 

6 ‘‘global catastrophic risk’’ means the risk of events 

7 or incidents consequential enough to significantly 

8 harm, set back, or destroy human civilization at the 

9 global scale. 

10 (7) GLOBAL CATASTROPHIC AND EXISTENTIAL

11 THREATS.—The term ‘‘global catastrophic and exis12 tential threats’’ means those threats that with vary13 ing likelihood can produce consequences severe 

14 enough to result in significant harm or destruction 

15 of human civilization at the global scale, or lead to 

16 human extinction. Examples of global catastrophic 

17 and existential threats include severe global 

18 pandemics, nuclear war, asteroid and comet impacts, 

19 supervolcanoes, sudden and severe changes to the 

20 climate, and intentional or accidental threats arising 

21 from the use and development of emerging tech22 nologies. 

23 (8) NATIONAL EXERCISE.—The term ‘‘national 

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1 tion 648(b) of the Post-Katrina Emergency Manage2 ment Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 748(b)). 

3 (9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

4 government’’ means the recognized governing body 

5 of any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, 

6 pueblo, village, community, component band, or com7 ponent reservation, that is individually identified (in8 cluding parenthetically) in the most recent list pub9 lished pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Rec10 ognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 

11 5131). 

12 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON GLOBAL CATA13 STROPHIC RISK. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall es16 tablish an interagency committee on global catastrophic 

17 risk. 

18 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The committee shall include sen19 ior representatives of— 

20 (1) the Assistant to the President for National 

21 Security Affairs; 

22 (2) the Director of the Office of Science and 

23 Technology Policy; 

24 (3) the Director of National Intelligence and 

25 the Director of the National Intelligence Council; 


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1 (4) the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 

2 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage3 ment Agency; 

4 (5) the Secretary of State and the Under Sec5 retary of State for Arms Control and International 

6 Security; 

7 (6) the Attorney General and the Director of 

8 the Federal Bureau of Investigation; 

9 (7) the Secretary of Energy, the Under Sec10 retary of Energy for Nuclear Security, and the Di11 rector of Science; 

12 (8) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv13 ices and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 

14 and Response; 

15 (9) the Secretary of Commerce, the Under Sec16 retary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, 

17 and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Stand18 ards and Technology; 

19 (10) the Secretary of the Interior and the Di20 rector of the United States Geological Survey; 

21 (11) the Administrator of the Environmental 

22 Protection Agency; 

23 (12) the Administrator of the National Aero24 nautics and Space Administration; 


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1 (13) the Director of the National Science Foun2 dation; 

3 (14) the Secretary of the Treasury; 

4 (15) the Chair of the Board of Governors of the 

5 Federal Reserve System; 

6 (16) the Secretary of Defense; and 

7 (17) other stakeholders the President deter8 mines appropriate. 

9 (c) CHAIRMANSHIP.—The committee shall be co10 chaired by a senior representative of the President and 

11 the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man12 agement Agency for Resilience. 

13 SEC. 4. REPORT REQUIRED. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

15 date of enactment of this Act, the President, with support 

16 from the committee, shall conduct and submit to Congress 

17 a detailed assessment of global catastrophic and existen18 tial risk. 

19 (b) MATTERS COVERED.—The report required under 

20 subsection (a) shall include— 

21 (1) expert estimates of cumulative global cata22 strophic and existential risk in the next 30 years, in23 cluding separate estimates for the likelihood of oc24 currence and potential consequences; 


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1 (2) expert-informed analyses of the risk of the 

2 most concerning specific global catastrophic and ex3 istential threats, including separate estimates, where 

4 reasonably feasible and credible, of each threat for 

5 its likelihood of occurrence and its potential con6 sequences, as well as associated uncertainties; 

7 (3) a comprehensive list of potential cata8 strophic or existential threats, including even those 

9 that may have very low likelihood; 

10 (4) technical assessments and lay explanations 

11 of the analyzed global catastrophic and existential 

12 risks, including their qualitative character and key 

13 factors affecting their likelihood of occurrence and 

14 potential consequences; 

15 (5) an explanation of any factors that limit the 

16 ability of the President to assess the risk both cumu17 latively and for particular threats, and how those 

18 limitations may be overcome through future research 

19 or with additional resources, programs, or authori20 ties; 

21 (6) a review of the effectiveness of intelligence 

22 collection, early warning and detection systems, or 

23 other functions and programs necessary to evaluate 

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1 tential threats, if any exist and as applicable for par2 ticular threats; 

3 (7) a forecast of if and why global catastrophic 

4 and existential risk is likely to increase or decrease 

5 significantly in the next 30 years, both qualitatively 

6 and quantitatively, as well as a description of associ7 ated uncertainties; 

8 (8) proposals for how the Federal Government 

9 may more adequately assess global catastrophic and 

10 existential risk on an ongoing basis in future years; 

11 (9) recommendations for legislative actions, as 

12 appropriate, to support the evaluation and assess13 ment of global catastrophic and existential risk; and 

14 (10) other matters deemed appropriate by the 

15 President. 

16 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In producing 

17 the report required under subsection (a), the President 

18 shall regularly consult with experts on global catastrophic 

19 and existential risks, including from non-governmental, 

20 academic, and private sector institutions. 

21 (d) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

22 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

23 a classified annex. 


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1 SEC. 5. REPORT ON CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS AND 

2 CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT PLANNING. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

4 submission of the report required under section 4, the 

5 President shall produce a report on the adequacy of con6 tinuity of operations and continuity of government plans 

7 based on the assessed global catastrophic and existential 

8 risk. 

9 (b) MATTERS COVERED.—The report required under 

10 subsection (a) shall include— 

11 (1) a detailed assessment of the ability of con12 tinuity of government and continuity of operations 

13 plans and programs, as defined by Executive Order 

14 13961, Presidential Policy Directive–40, or suc15 cessor policies, to maintain national essential func16 tions following global catastrophes, both cumula17 tively and for particular threats; 

18 (2) an assessment of the need to revise Execu19 tive Order 13961, Presidential Policy Directive–40, 

20 or successor policies to account for global cata21 strophic and existential risk cumulatively or for par22 ticular threats; 

23 (3) a budget proposal for continuity of govern24 ment and continuity of operations programs nec25 essary to adequately maintain national essential 

26 functions during global catastrophes; 


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1 (4) recommendations for legislative actions nec2 essary to improve continuity of government and con3 tinuity of operations plans and programs; and 

4 (5) other matters deemed appropriate by the 

5 co-chairs. 

6 (c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

7 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

8 a classified annex. 

9 SEC. 6. STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND 

10 GENERAL WELFARE OF THE CIVILIAN POPU11 LATION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

13 date of enactment of this Act, the President, with support 

14 from the committee, shall develop and submit to the ap15 propriate committees of Congress a strategy to— 

16 (1) provide for the basic needs of the civilian 

17 population of the United States that is impacted by 

18 catastrophic incidents in the United States; 

19 (2) coordinate response efforts with State and 

20 local governments, the private sector, and nonprofit 

21 relief organizations; 

22 (3) promote personal and local readiness and 

23 non-reliance on government relief during periods of 

24 heightened tension or after catastrophic incidents; 

25 and 


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1 (4) develop international partnerships with al2 lied nations for the provision of relief services and 

3 goods. 

4 (b) ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY.—The strategy 

5 developed under subsection (a) shall include a description 

6 of— 

7 (1) actions the President will take to ensure the 

8 basic needs of the civilian population of the United 

9 States in a catastrophic incident are met; 

10 (2) how the President will coordinate with non11 Federal entities to multiply resources and enhance 

12 relief capabilities, including— 

13 (A) State and local governments; 

14 (B) Tribal governments; 

15 (C) State disaster relief agencies; 

16 (D) State and local disaster relief man17 agers; 

18 (E) State National Guards; 

19 (F) law enforcement and first response en20 tities; and 

21 (G) nonprofit relief services; 

22 (3) actions the President will take to enhance 

23 individual resiliency to the effects of a catastrophic 

24 incident, which actions shall include— 


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1 (A) readiness alerts to the public during 

2 periods of elevated threat; 

3 (B) efforts to enhance domestic supply and 

4 availability of critical goods and basic neces5 sities; and 

6 (C) information campaigns to ensure the 

7 public is aware of response plans and services 

8 that will be activated when necessary; 

9 (4) efforts the President will undertake and 

10 agreements the President will seek with inter11 national allies to enhance the readiness of the 

12 United States to provide for the general welfare; 

13 (5) how the strategic plan will be implemented 

14 should multiple levels of critical infrastructure be de15 stroyed or taken offline entirely for an extended pe16 riod of time; 

17 (6) how the strategic plan will be made oper18 ational within the larger response strategy of the 

19 United States; and 

20 (7) the authorities the President would impli21 cate in responding to a catastrophic incident. 

22 (c) ASSUMPTIONS.—In designing the strategy under 

23 subsection (a), the President shall account for certain fac24 tors to make the strategy operationally viable, including 

25 the assumption that— 


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1 (1) multiple levels of critical infrastructure have 

2 been taken offline or destroyed by catastrophic inci3 dents or the effects of catastrophic incidents; 

4 (2) impacted sectors include— 

5 (A) the transportation sector; 

6 (B) the communication sector; 

7 (C) the energy sector; 

8 (D) the healthcare and public health sec9 tor; 

10 (E) the water and wastewater sector; and 

11 (F) the financial sector; 

12 (3) State and local governments have been 

13 equally affected or made largely inoperable by cata14 strophic incidents or the effects of catastrophic inci15 dents; 

16 (4) the emergency has exceeded the response 

17 capabilities of State and local governments under 

18 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer19 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and 

20 other relevant disaster response laws; and 

21 (5) the United States military is sufficiently en22 gaged in armed or cyber conflict with State or non23 State adversaries, or is otherwise unable to augment 

24 domestic response capabilities in a significant man25 ner due to a catastrophic incident. 


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1 (d) EXISTING PLANS.—The President may incor2 porate existing contingency plans in the strategy developed 

3 under subsection (a) so long as those contingency plans 

4 are amended to be operational in accordance with the re5 quirements under this section. 

6 (e) AVAILABILITY.—The strategy developed under 

7 subsection (a) shall be available to the public but may in8 clude a classified, or other restricted, annex to be made 

9 available to the appropriate committees of Congress and 

10 appropriate government entities. 

11 SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. 

12 Not later than 90 days after the issuance of the strat13 egy required under section 6, the President shall issue a 

14 plan to implement and operationalize the strategy, which 

15 shall include— 

16 (1) steps the President will take to prepare im17 plicated entities for mobilization under the strategy; 

18 and 

19 (2) specific actions the President will take to— 

20 (A) ensure the continued readiness of the 

21 United States to implement the strategy; 

22 (B) educate the public on the strategy and 

23 the role individual citizens should play to ensure 

24 the objectives of the strategy are met; 


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1 (C) ensure the objectives of the strategy 

2 are met; and 

3 (D) ensure foreign adversaries are not able 

4 to undermine the operationalization of the 

5 strategy. 

6 SEC. 8. NATIONAL RESPONSE EXERCISE. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

8 issuance of the implementation plan required under sec9 tion 7, the Department of Homeland Security shall lead 

10 a national exercise, in coordination with the committee, 

11 to test and enhance the operationalization of the imple12 mentation plan. 

13 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A national exercise conducted 

14 under this section shall include participation from most 

15 or all entities implicated by the strategy required under 

16 section 4, including: 

17 (1) State, local, and Tribal governments. 

18 (2) Information sharing and analysis centers. 

19 (3) Owners and operators of critical infrastruc20 ture. 

21 SEC. 9. RECOMMENDATIONS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall provide rec23 ommendations to Congress for— 

24 (1) actions that should be taken to prepare the 

25 United States to implement the strategy required 


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1 under section 6, increase readiness, and address pre2 paredness gaps for responding to the impacts of cat3 astrophic incidents on citizens of the United States; 

4 and 

5 (2) additional authorities that should be consid6 ered for Federal agencies and the President to more 

7 effectively implement the strategy required under 

8 section 6. 

9 (b) INCLUSION IN REPORTS.—The President may in10 clude the recommendations required under subsection (a) 

11 in a report submitted under section 10. 

12 SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

13 Not later than 1 year after the date on which Depart14 ment of Homeland Security leads the national exercise 

15 under section 8, the President shall submit to Congress 

16 a report that includes— 

17 (1) a description of the efforts of the President 

18 to develop and update the strategy required under 

19 section 6; 

20 (2) a description of the efforts of the President 

21 to develop and update the implementation plan re22 quired under section 7; and 

23 (3) an analysis of the effectiveness and benefit 

24 of the national exercise conducted under section 8. 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Catastrophic 

3 Risk Management Act of 2022’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) BASIC NEED.—The term ‘‘basic need’’— 

7 (A) means any good, service, or activity 

8 necessary to protect the health, safety, and gen9 eral welfare of the civilian population of the 

10 United States; and 

11 (B) includes— 

12 (i) food; 

13 (ii) water; 

14 (iii) shelter; 

15 (iv) basic communication services; 

16 (v) basic sanitation and health serv17 ices; and 

18 (vi) public safety. 

19 (2) CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT.—The term ‘‘cata20 strophic incident’’— 

21 (A) means any natural or man-made dis22 aster that results in extraordinary levels of cas23 ualties or damage, mass evacuations, or disrup24 tion severely affecting the population, infrastruc25 ture, environment, economy, national morale, or 

26 government functions in an area; and 


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1 (B) may include an incident— 

2 (i) with a sustained national impact 

3 over a prolonged period of time; 

4 (ii) that may rapidly exceed resources 

5 available to State and local government and 

6 private sector authorities in the impacted 

7 area; or 

8 (iii) that may significantly interrupt 

9 governmental operations and emergency 

10 services to such an extent that national se11 curity could be threatened. 

12 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘committee’’ means 

13 the interagency committee on global catastrophic risk 

14 established under section 3. 

15 (4) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

16 ‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given the 

17 term in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructure 

18 Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)). 

19 (5) EXISTENTIAL RISK.—The term ‘‘existential 

20 risk’’ means the potential for an outcome that would 

21 result in human extinction. 

22 (6) GLOBAL CATASTROPHIC RISK.—The term 

23 ‘‘global catastrophic risk’’ means the risk of events or 

24 incidents consequential enough to significantly harm, 


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1 set back, or destroy human civilization at the global 

2 scale. 

3 (7) GLOBAL CATASTROPHIC AND EXISTENTIAL

4 THREATS.—The term ‘‘global catastrophic and exis5 tential threats’’ means those threats that with varying 

6 likelihood can produce consequences severe enough to 

7 result in significant harm or destruction of human 

8 civilization at the global scale, or lead to human ex9 tinction. Examples of global catastrophic and existen10 tial threats include severe global pandemics, nuclear 

11 war, asteroid and comet impacts, supervolcanoes, sud12 den and severe changes to the climate, and intentional 

13 or accidental threats arising from the use and devel14 opment of emerging technologies. 

15 (8) NATIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAM.—The term 

16 ‘‘national exercise program’’ means activities carried 

17 out to test and evaluate the national preparedness 

18 goal and related plans and strategies as described in 

19 section 648(b) of the Post-Katrina Emergency Man20 agement Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 748(b)). 

21 (9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

22 government’’ means the recognized governing body of 

23 any Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, 

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1 cluding parenthetically) in the most recent list pub2 lished pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recog3 nized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 

4 5131). 

5 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON GLOBAL CATA6 STROPHIC RISK. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

8 the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall estab9 lish an interagency committee on global catastrophic risk. 

10 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The committee shall include senior 

11 representatives of— 

12 (1) the Assistant to the President for National 

13 Security Affairs; 

14 (2) the Director of the Office of Science and 

15 Technology Policy; 

16 (3) the Director of National Intelligence and the 

17 Director of the National Intelligence Council; 

18 (4) the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 

19 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 

20 Agency; 

21 (5) the Secretary of State and the Under Sec22 retary of State for Arms Control and International 

23 Security; 

24 (6) the Attorney General and the Director of the 

25 Federal Bureau of Investigation; 


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1 (7) the Secretary of Energy, the Under Secretary 

2 of Energy for Nuclear Security, and the Director of 

3 Science; 

4 (8) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv5 ices, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Re6 sponse, and the Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs; 

7 (9) the Secretary of Commerce, the Under Sec8 retary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and 

9 the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 

10 Technology; 

11 (10) the Secretary of the Interior and the Direc12 tor of the United States Geological Survey; 

13 (11) the Administrator of the Environmental 

14 Protection Agency and the Assistant Administrator 

15 for Water; 

16 (12) the Administrator of the National Aero17 nautics and Space Administration; 

18 (13) the Director of the National Science Foun19 dation; 

20 (14) the Secretary of the Treasury; 

21 (15) the Chair of the Board of Governors of the 

22 Federal Reserve System; 

23 (16) the Secretary of Defense, the Assistant Sec24 retary of the Army for Civil Works, and the Chief of 


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1 Engineers and Commanding General of the Army 

2 Corps of Engineers; 

3 (17) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; 

4 (18) the Administrator of the United States 

5 Agency for International Development; and 

6 (19) other stakeholders the President determines 

7 appropriate. 

8 (c) CHAIRMANSHIP.—The committee shall be co9 chaired by a senior representative of the President and the 

10 Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage11 ment Agency for Resilience. 

12 SEC. 4. REPORT REQUIRED. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, and every 10 years thereafter, the 

15 President, with support from the committee, shall conduct 

16 and submit to Congress a report containing a detailed as17 sessment of global catastrophic and existential risk. 

18 (b) MATTERS COVERED.—Each report required under 

19 subsection (a) shall include — 

20 (1) expert estimates of cumulative global cata21 strophic and existential risk in the next 30 years, in22 cluding separate estimates for the likelihood of occur23 rence and potential consequences; 

24 (2) expert-informed analyses of the risk of the 

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1 tential threats, including separate estimates, where 

2 reasonably feasible and credible, of each threat for its 

3 likelihood of occurrence and its potential con4 sequences, as well as associated uncertainties; 

5 (3) a comprehensive list of potential catastrophic 

6 or existential threats, including even those that may 

7 have very low likelihood; 

8 (4) technical assessments and lay explanations of 

9 the analyzed global catastrophic and existential risks, 

10 including their qualitative character and key factors 

11 affecting their likelihood of occurrence and potential 

12 consequences; 

13 (5) an explanation of any factors that limit the 

14 ability of the President to assess the risk both cumula15 tively and for particular threats, and how those limi16 tations may be overcome through future research or 

17 with additional resources, programs, or authorities; 

18 (6) a review of the effectiveness of intelligence 

19 collection, early warning and detection systems, or 

20 other functions and programs necessary to evaluate 

21 the risk of particular global catastrophic and existen22 tial threats, if any exist and as applicable for par23 ticular threats; 

24 (7) a forecast of if and why global catastrophic 

25 and existential risk is likely to increase or decrease 


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1 significantly in the next 30 years, both qualitatively 

2 and quantitatively, as well as a description of associ3 ated uncertainties; 

4 (8) proposals for how the Federal Government 

5 may more adequately assess global catastrophic and 

6 existential risk on an ongoing basis in future years; 

7 (9) recommendations for legislative actions, as 

8 appropriate, to support the evaluation and assessment 

9 of global catastrophic and existential risk; and 

10 (10) other matters deemed appropriate by the 

11 President. 

12 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In producing the 

13 report required under subsection (a), the President, with 

14 support from the committee, shall regularly consult with ex15 perts on global catastrophic and existential risks, including 

16 from non-governmental, academic, and private sector insti17 tutions. 

18 (d) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

19 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

20 a classified annex. 

21 SEC. 5. REPORT ON CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS AND CON22 TINUITY OF GOVERNMENT PLANNING. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

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1 port on the adequacy of continuity of operations and con2 tinuity of government plans based on the assessed global 

3 catastrophic and existential risk. 

4 (b) MATTERS COVERED.—The report required under 

5 subsection (a) shall include— 

6 (1) a detailed assessment of the ability of con7 tinuity of government and continuity of operations 

8 plans and programs, as defined by Executive Order 

9 13961 (85 Fed. Reg. 79379; relating to governance 

10 and integration of Federal mission resilience), Presi11 dential Policy Directive–40 (July 15, 2016; relating 

12 to national continuity policy), or successor policies, to 

13 maintain national essential functions following global 

14 catastrophes, both cumulatively and for particular 

15 threats; 

16 (2) an assessment of the need to revise Executive 

17 Order 13961 (85 Fed. Reg. 79379; relating to govern18 ance and integration of Federal mission resilience), 

19 Presidential Policy Directive–40 (July 15, 2016; re20 lating to national continuity policy), or successor 

21 policies to account for global catastrophic and existen22 tial risk cumulatively or for particular threats; 

23 (3) an assessment of any technology gaps lim24 iting mitigation of global catastrophic and existential 


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1 risks for continuity of operations and continuity of 

2 government plans; 

3 (4) a budget proposal for continuity of govern4 ment and continuity of operations programs nec5 essary to adequately maintain national essential 

6 functions during global catastrophes; 

7 (5) recommendations for legislative actions and 

8 technology development and implementation actions 

9 necessary to improve continuity of government and 

10 continuity of operations plans and programs; 

11 (6) a plan for increased senior leader involve12 ment in continuity of operations and continuity of 

13 government exercises; and 

14 (7) other matters deemed appropriate by the co15 chairs of the committee. 

16 (c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

17 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

18 a classified annex. 

19 SEC. 6. ENHANCED CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT ANNEX. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, with support from 

21 the committee, shall supplement each Federal Interagency 

22 Operational Plan to include an annex containing a strat23 egy to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of the 

24 civilian population affected by catastrophic incidents by— 


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1 (1) providing for the basic needs of the civilian 

2 population of the United States that is impacted by 

3 catastrophic incidents in the United States; 

4 (2) coordinating response efforts with State and 

5 local governments, the private sector, and nonprofit 

6 relief organizations; 

7 (3) promoting personal and local readiness and 

8 non-reliance on government relief during periods of 

9 heightened tension or after catastrophic incidents; and 

10 (4) developing international partnerships with 

11 allied nations for the provision of relief services and 

12 goods. 

13 (b) ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY.—The strategy re14 quired under subsection (a) shall include a description of— 

15 (1) actions the President will take to ensure the 

16 basic needs of the civilian population of the United 

17 States in a catastrophic incident are met; 

18 (2) how the President will coordinate with non19 Federal entities to multiply resources and enhance re20 lief capabilities, including— 

21 (A) State and local governments; 

22 (B) Tribal governments; 

23 (C) State disaster relief agencies; 

24 (D) State and local disaster relief man25 agers; 


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1 (E) State National Guards; 

2 (F) law enforcement and first response enti3 ties; and 

4 (G) nonprofit relief services; 

5 (3) actions the President will take to enhance in6 dividual resiliency to the effects of a catastrophic in7 cident, which actions shall include— 

8 (A) readiness alerts to the public during pe9 riods of elevated threat; 

10 (B) efforts to enhance domestic supply and 

11 availability of critical goods and basic neces12 sities; and 

13 (C) information campaigns to ensure the 

14 public is aware of response plans and services 

15 that will be activated when necessary; 

16 (4) efforts the President will undertake and 

17 agreements the President will seek with international 

18 allies to enhance the readiness of the United States to 

19 provide for the general welfare; 

20 (5) how the strategy will be implemented should 

21 multiple levels of critical infrastructure be destroyed 

22 or taken offline entirely for an extended period of 

23 time; and 

24 (6) the authorities the President would implicate 

25 in responding to a catastrophic incident. 


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1 (c) ASSUMPTIONS.—In designing the strategy under 

2 subsection (a), the President shall account for certain fac3 tors to make the strategy operationally viable, including the 

4 assumption that— 

5 (1) multiple levels of critical infrastructure have 

6 been taken offline or destroyed by catastrophic inci7 dents or the effects of catastrophic incidents; 

8 (2) impacted sectors may include— 

9 (A) the transportation sector; 

10 (B) the communication sector; 

11 (C) the energy sector; 

12 (D) the healthcare and public health sector; 

13 (E) the water and wastewater sector; and 

14 (F) the financial sector; 

15 (3) State, local, Tribal, and territorial govern16 ments have been equally affected or made largely in17 operable by catastrophic incidents or the effects of cat18 astrophic incidents; 

19 (4) the emergency has exceeded the response ca20 pabilities of State and local governments under the 

21 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As22 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and other rel23 evant disaster response laws; and 

24 (5) the United States military is sufficiently en25 gaged in armed or cyber conflict with State or nonVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S4488.RS S4488

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1 State adversaries, or is otherwise unable to augment 

2 domestic response capabilities in a significant man3 ner due to a catastrophic incident. 

4 (d) EXISTING PLANS.—The President may incorporate 

5 existing contingency plans in the strategy developed under 

6 subsection (a) so long as those contingency plans are 

7 amended to be operational in accordance with the require8 ments under this section. 

9 (e) AVAILABILITY.—The strategy developed under sub10 section (a) shall be available to the public but may include 

11 a classified, or other restricted, annex to be made available 

12 to the appropriate committees of Congress and appropriate 

13 government entities. 

14 SEC. 7. VALIDATION OF THE STRATEGY THROUGH AN EXER15 CISE. 

16 Not later than 1 year after the addition of the annex 

17 required under section 6, the Department of Homeland Se18 curity shall lead an exercise as part of the national exercise 

19 program, in coordination with the committee, to test and 

20 enhance the operationalization of the strategy required 

21 under section 6. 

22 SEC. 8. RECOMMENDATIONS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall provide rec24 ommendations to Congress for— 


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1 (1) actions that should be taken to prepare the 

2 United States to implement the strategy required 

3 under section 6, increase readiness, and address pre4 paredness gaps for responding to the impacts of cata5 strophic incidents on citizens of the United States; 

6 and 

7 (2) additional authorities that should be consid8 ered for Federal agencies and the President to more 

9 effectively implement the strategy required under sec10 tion 6. 

11 (b) INCLUSION IN REPORTS.—The President may in12 clude the recommendations required under subsection (a) in 

13 a report submitted under section 9. 

14 SEC. 9. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

15 Not later than 1 year after the date on which Depart16 ment of Homeland Security leads the exercise under section 

17 7, the President shall submit to Congress a report that in18 cludes— 

19 (1) a description of the efforts of the President to 

20 develop and update the strategy required under sec21 tion 6; and 

22 (2) an after-action report following the conduct 

23 of the exercise described in section 7. 


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1 SEC. 10. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede the 

3 civilian emergency management authority of the Adminis4 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under 

5 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As6 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) or the Post Katrina 

7 Emergency Management Reform Act (6 U.S.C. 701 et seq.). 


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Calendar No. 638 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4488 

[Report No. 117–254] 

A BILL 

To establish an interagency committee on global 

catastrophic risk, and for other purposes. 

DECEMBER 13, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


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