IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 42

Establishing a Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Response.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 25, 1993

Mr. WELDON (for himself and Mr. ANDREWS of New Jersey) submitted the

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

RESOLUTION

Establishing a Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness

and Response.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.

3 There is established in the House of Representatives

4 a select committee to be known as the Select Committee

5 on Disaster Preparedness and Response.

6 SEC. 2. FUNCTIONS.

7 The select committee shall—

8 (1) conduct a comprehensive assessment of pro9 grams and activities of the Federal Emergency Man10 agement Agency relating to disasters since the es11 tablishment of the agency;
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1 (2) study the roles of the Federal, State, and

2 local governments in disaster preparedness, re3 sponse, and mitigation and the coordination by the

4 governments of such functions;

5 (3) study Federal programs relating to disaster

6 preparedness, response, and mitigation;

7 (4) study specific examples of disaster response

8 that have occurred during the 5-year period termi9 nating on the date of the adoption of this resolution

10 and any problems associated with the examples; and

11 (5) recommend to the appropriate committees

12 of the House any legislation or other action that the

13 select committee considers necessary with respect to

14 programs or policies affecting disaster preparedness,

15 response, and mitigation.

16 SEC. 3. APPOINTMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.

17 (a) MEMBERS.—The select committee shall be com18 posed of 35 Members of the House, who shall be appointed

19 by the Speaker.

20 (b) VACANCY.—Any vacancy occurring in the mem21 bership of the select committee shall be filled in the same

22 manner in which the original appointment was made.

23 (c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Speaker shall designate 1

24 member of the select committee to be its chairperson.
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1 SEC. 4. AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURES.

2 (a) AUTHORITY.—For purposes of carrying out this

3 resolution, the select committee (or any subcommittee of

4 the select committee authorized to hold hearings) may sit

5 and act during the present Congress at any time or place

6 within the United States, or elsewhere, whether the House

7 is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned, and may hold

8 such hearings as it considers necessary.

9 (b) RULES OF PROCEDURE.—The provisions of

10 clauses 1, 2, and 3 of rule XI of the Rules of the House

11 shall apply to the select committee.

12 (c) PROHIBITION AGAINST MEETING AT CERTAIN

13 TIMES.—Subsection (a) may not be construed to limit the

14 applicability of clause 2(i) of rule XI of the Rules of the

15 House to the select committee.

16 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

17 (a) EXPENSES.—Subject to the adoption of expense

18 resolutions as required by clause 5 of rule XI of the Rules

19 of the House, the select committee may incur expenses in

20 connection with its functions under this resolution.

21 (b) STAFF AND TRAVEL.—In carrying out its func22 tions under this resolution, the select committee may—

23 (1) appoint, either on a permanent basis or as

24 experts or consultants, any staff that the select com25 mittee considers necessary;
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1 (2) prescribe the duties and responsibilities of

2 the staff;

3 (3) fix the compensation of the staff at a single

4 per annum gross rate that does not exceed the maxi5 mum rate of pay, as in effect from time to time, pro6 vided under clause 6(c) of rule XI of the Rules of

7 the House;

8 (4) terminate the employment of any such staff

9 as the select committee considers appropriate; and

10 (5) reimburse members of the select committee

11 and of its staff for travel, subsistence, and other

12 necessary expenses incurred by them in the perform13 ance of their functions for the select committee,

14 other than expenses in connection with any meeting

15 of the select committee, or a subcommittee thereof,

16 held in the District of Columbia.

17 SEC. 6. REPORTS AND RECORDS.

18 (a) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than January 3,

19 1995, the select committee shall submit to the House a

20 final report setting forth its findings and recommenda21 tions.

22 (b) FILING OF REPORTS.—Any report made by the

23 select committee when the House is not in session shall

24 be filed with the Clerk of the House.
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1 (c) REFERRAL OF REPORTS.—Any report made by

2 the select committee shall be referred to the committee

3 or committees that have jurisdiction over the subject mat4 ter of the report.

5 (d) RECORDS, FILES, AND MATERIALS.—Following

6 the termination of the select committee, the records, files,

7 and materials of the select committee shall be transferred

8 to the Clerk of the House.

9 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

10 For purposes of this resolution:

11 (1) DISASTER.—The term ‘‘disaster’’ means a

12 natural catastrophe or, regardless of cause, a fire,

13 flood, explosion, collapse of a structure, or radiologi14 cal accident in the United States for which Federal

15 assistance is needed to save lives, to protect prop16 erty, or to protect public health and safety.

17 (2) MEMBER OF THE HOUSE.—The term

18 ‘‘Member of the House’’ means any Representative

19 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the

20 House of Representatives.

21 (3) NATURAL CATASTROPHE.—The term ‘‘natu22 ral catastrophe’’ includes any hurricane, tornado,

23 storm, high water, winddriven water, tidal wave, tsu24 nami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide,

25 mudslide, snowstorm, or drought.
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1 (4) RADIOLOGICAL ACCIDENT.—The term ‘‘ra2 diological accident’’ includes radiological accidents at

3 fixed nuclear facilities and transportation accidents

4 involving radioactive materials.

5 (5) SELECT COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘select

6 committee’’ means the Select Committee on Disaster

7 Preparedness and Response.

8 (6) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘‘United

9 States’’ means the several States, the District of Co10 lumbia, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of

11 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Common12 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Repub13 lic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of

14 Micronesia, and Palau.

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