[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 737-738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-38]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 6, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 737]]

                Executive Order 13527 of December 30, 2009

                
Establishing Federal Capability for the Timely 
                Provision of Medical Countermeasures Following a 
                Biological Attack

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the United 
                States to plan and prepare for the timely provision of 
                medical countermeasures to the American people in the 
                event of a biological attack in the United States 
                through a rapid Federal response in coordination with 
                State, local, territorial, and tribal governments.

                This policy would seek to: (1) mitigate illness and 
                prevent death; (2) sustain critical infrastructure; and 
                (3) complement and supplement State, local, 
                territorial, and tribal government medical 
                countermeasure distribution capacity.

                Sec. 2. United States Postal Service Delivery of 
                Medical Countermeasures. (a) The U.S. Postal Service 
                has the capacity for rapid residential delivery of 
                medical countermeasures for self administration across 
                all communities in the United States. The Federal 
                Government shall pursue a national U.S. Postal Service 
                medical countermeasures dispensing model to respond to 
                a large-scale biological attack.

                (b) The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and 
                Homeland Security, in coordination with the U.S. Postal 
                Service, within 180 days of the date of this order, 
                shall establish a national U.S. Postal Service medical 
                countermeasures dispensing model for U.S. cities to 
                respond to a large-scale biological attack, with 
                anthrax as the primary threat consideration.

                (c) In support of the national U.S. Postal Service 
                model, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and 
                Human Services, and Defense, and the Attorney General, 
                in coordination with the U.S. Postal Service, and in 
                consultation with State and local public health, 
                emergency management, and law enforcement officials, 
                within 180 days of the date of this order, shall 
                develop an accompanying plan for supplementing local 
                law enforcement personnel, as necessary and 
                appropriate, with local Federal law enforcement, as 
                well as other appropriate personnel, to escort U.S. 
                Postal workers delivering medical countermeasures.

                Sec. 3. Federal Rapid Response. (a) The Federal 
                Government must develop the capacity to anticipate and 
                immediately supplement the capabilities of affected 
                jurisdictions to rapidly distribute medical 
                countermeasures following a biological attack. 
                Implementation of a Federal strategy to rapidly 
                dispense medical countermeasures requires establishment 
                of a Federal rapid response capability.

                (b) The Secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and 
                Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Defense, within 90 days of the date of this order, 
                shall develop a concept of operations and establish 
                requirements for a Federal rapid response to dispense 
                medical countermeasures to an affected population 
                following a large-scale biological attack.

                Sec. 4. Continuity of Operations. (a) The Federal 
                Government must establish mechanisms for the provision 
                of medical countermeasures to personnel performing 
                mission-essential functions to ensure that mission-
                essential functions of Federal agencies continue to be 
                performed following a biological attack.

[[Page 738]]

                (b) The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and 
                Homeland Security, within 180 days of the date of this 
                order, shall develop a plan for the provision of 
                medical countermeasures to ensure that mission-
                essential functions of executive branch departments and 
                agencies continue to be performed following a large-
                scale biological attack.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions.

                (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair 
                or otherwise affect:

                    (i) authority granted by law to a department or 
                agency, or the head thereof; or
                    (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of 
                Management and Budget relating to budgetary, 
                administrative, or legislative proposals.

                (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

                (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create 
                any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    December 30, 2009.

[FR Doc. 2010-38
Filed 1-5-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P