293 
§ 11106. Preserving the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency 
(a) REORGANIZATION.—Section 10331(b) of this title shall not apply to 
the Agency, including any function or organizational unit of the Agency. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON CHANGES TO MISSIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not substantially or signifi-
cantly reduce, including through a Joint Task Force established under 
section 11508 of this title, the authorities, responsibilities, or functions 
of the Agency or the capability of the Agency to perform those mis-
sions, authorities, and responsibilities, except as otherwise specifically 
provided in an Act enacted after October 4, 2006. 
(2) CERTAIN TRANSFERS PROHIBITED.—No asset, function, or mis-
sion of the Agency may be diverted to the principal and continuing use 
of another organization, unit, or entity of the Department, including 
a Joint Task Force established under section 11508 of this title, except 
for details or assignments that do not reduce the capability of the 
Agency to perform its missions. 
(c) REPROGRAMMING AND TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—In reprogramming or 
transferring funds, the Secretary shall comply with applicable provisions of 
any Act making appropriations for the Department for any fiscal year relat-
ing to the reprogramming or transfer of funds. 
§ 11107. Regional Offices 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are in the Agency 10 regional offices, as identi-
fied by the Administrator. 
(b) MANAGEMENT OF REGIONAL OFFICES.— 
(1) REGIONAL
ADMINISTRATOR.—Each Regional Office shall be 
headed by a Regional Administrator, who shall be appointed by the Ad-
ministrator, after consulting with State, local, and tribal government 
officials in the region. Each Regional Administrator shall report di-
rectly to the Administrator and be in the Senior Executive Service. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Regional Administrator shall be ap-
pointed from among individuals who have a demonstrated ability 
in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland secu-
rity. 
(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting a Regional Administrator 
for a Regional Office, the Administrator shall consider the famili-
arity of an individual with the geographical area and demographic 
characteristics of the population served by the Regional Office. 
(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Regional Administrator shall work in part-
nership with State, local, and tribal governments, emergency managers, 
emergency response providers, medical providers, the private sector, 
nongovernmental organizations, multijurisdictional councils of govern-
ments, and regional planning commissions and organizations in the 
geographical area served by the Regional Office to carry out the re-
sponsibilities of a Regional Administrator under this section. 
(2) SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of a Regional 
Administrator include— 
(A) ensuring effective, coordinated, and integrated regional pre-
paredness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation activities 
and programs for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other 
man-made disasters (including planning, training, exercises, and 
professional development); 
(B) assisting in the development of regional capabilities needed 
for a national catastrophic response system; 
(C) coordinating the establishment of effective regional operable 
and interoperable emergency communications capabilities; 
(D) staffing and overseeing one or more strike teams within the 
region under subsection (f), to serve as the focal point of the Fed-
eral Government’s initial response efforts for natural disasters, 
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters within that re-
gion, and otherwise building Federal response capabilities to re-
spond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made 
disasters within that region; 
(E) designating an individual responsible for the development of 
strategic and operational regional plans in support of the National 
Response Plan; 
(F) fostering the development of mutual aid and other coopera-
tive agreements; 
(G) identifying critical gaps in regional capabilities to respond 
to populations with special needs; 
(H) maintaining and operating a Regional Response Coordina-
tion Center or its successor; 
(I) coordinating with the private sector to help ensure private- 
sector preparedness for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and 
other man-made disasters; 
(J) assisting State, local, and tribal governments, where appro-
priate, to pre-identify and evaluate suitable sites where a multi-
jurisdictional incident command system may quickly be established 
and operated from, if the need for a system arises; and 
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(K) performing any other duties relating to these responsibilities 
that the Administrator may require. 
(3) TRAINING AND EXERCISE REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) TRAINING.—The Administrator shall require each Regional 
Administrator to undergo specific training periodically to com-
plement the qualifications of the Regional Administrator. The 
training, as appropriate, shall include training with respect to the 
National Incident Management System, the National Response 
Plan, and other subjects determined by the Administrator. 
(B) EXERCISES.—The Administrator shall require each Re-
gional Administrator to participate as appropriate in regional and 
national exercises. 
(d) AREA OFFICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is an Area Office for the Pacific and an 
Area Office for the Caribbean, as components in the appropriate Re-
gional Offices. 
(2) ALASKA.—The Administrator shall establish an Area Office in 
Alaska, as a component in the appropriate Regional Office. 
(e) REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each Regional Administrator shall establish 
a Regional Advisory Council. 
(2) NOMINATIONS.—A State, local, or tribal government located in 
the geographic area served by the Regional Office may nominate offi-
cials, including Adjutants General and emergency managers, to serve 
as members of the Regional Advisory Council for that region. 
(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each Regional Advisory Council shall— 
(A) advise the Regional Administrator on emergency manage-
ment issues specific to that region; 
(B) identify geographic, demographic, or other characteristics 
peculiar to a State, local, or tribal government within the region 
that might make preparedness, protection, response, recovery, or 
mitigation more complicated or difficult; and 
(C) advise the Regional Administrator of weaknesses or defi-
ciencies in preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and miti-
gation for a State, local, and tribal government within the region 
of which the Regional Advisory Council is aware. 
(f) REGIONAL OFFICE STRIKE TEAMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In coordination with other relevant Federal agen-
cies, each Regional Administrator shall oversee multi-agency strike 
teams authorized under section 303 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
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Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5144) that shall con-
sist of— 
(A) a designated Federal coordinating officer; 
(B) personnel trained in incident management; 
(C) public affairs, response and recovery, and communications 
support personnel; 
(D) a defense coordinating officer; 
(E) liaisons to other Federal agencies; 
(F) Other personnel the Administrator or Regional Adminis-
trator determines appropriate; and 
(G) individuals from the agencies with primary responsibility for 
each of the emergency support functions in the National Response 
Plan. 
(2) OTHER DUTIES TO BE CONSISTENT.—The duties of an individual 
assigned to a Regional Office strike team from another relevant agency 
when the individual is not functioning as a member of the strike team 
shall be consistent with the emergency preparedness activities of the 
agency that employs the individual. 
(3) LOCATION OF MEMBERS.—The members of each Regional Office 
strike team, including representatives from agencies other than the De-
partment, shall be based primarily within the region that corresponds 
to that strike team. 
(4) COORDINATION.—Each Regional Office strike team shall coordi-
nate the training and exercises of that strike team with the State, local, 
and tribal governments and private-sector and nongovernmental entities 
that the strike team shall support when a natural disaster, act of ter-
rorism, or other man-made disaster occurs. 
(5) PREPAREDNESS.—Each Regional Office strike team shall be 
trained as a unit on a regular basis and equipped and staffed to be 
well prepared to respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and 
other man-made disasters, including catastrophic incidents. 
(6) AUTHORITIES.—If the Administrator determines that statutory 
authority is inadequate for the preparedness and deployment of individ-
uals in strike teams under this subsection, the Administrator shall re-
port to Congress regarding the additional statutory authorities that the 
Administrator determines are necessary. 
§ 11108. National Advisory Council 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is in the Department the National Advisory 
Council, established as an advisory body under section 10381(a) of this title 
to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of Federal preparedness, pro-
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