(c) QUORUM; VACANCIES.—After its initial meeting, 
the Commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman 
or a majority of its members. Six members of the Commis-
sion shall constitute a quorum. Any vacancy in the Com-
mission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
the same manner in which the original appointment was 
made. 
SEC. 3. DUTIES. 
The duties of the Commission are to— 
(1) examine and report upon the Federal, 
State, and local response to the devastation wrought 
by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of the 
United States of America especially in the States of 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other areas 
impacted in the aftermath; 
(2) ascertain, evaluate, and report on the infor-
mation developed by all relevant governmental agen-
cies regarding the facts and circumstances related to 
Hurricane Katrina prior to striking the United 
States and in the days and weeks following; 
(3) build upon concurrent and prior investiga-
tions of other entities, and avoid unnecessary dupli-
cation concerning information related to existing 
vulnerabilities;
(4) make a full and complete accounting of the 
circumstances surrounding the approach of Hurri-
cane Katrina to the Gulf States, and the extent of 
the United States government’s preparedness for, 
and response to, the hurricane; 
(5) planning necessary for future cataclysmic 
events requiring a significant marshaling of Federal 
resources, mitigation, response, and recovery to 
avoid significant loss of life; 
(6) an analysis as to whether any decisions dif-
fered with respect to response and recovery for dif-
ferent communities, neighborhoods, parishes, and lo-
cations and what problems occurred as a result of a 
lack of a common plan, communication structure, 
and centralized command structure; and 
(7) investigate and report to the President and 
Congress on its findings, conclusions, and rec-
ommendations for immediate corrective measures 
that can be taken to prevent problems with Federal 
response that occurred in the preparation for, and in 
the aftermath of, Hurricane Katrina so that future 
cataclysmic events are responded to adequately. 
SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The functions of the Commission 
are to—
(1) conduct an investigation that— 
(A) investigates relevant facts and cir-
cumstances relating to the catastrophic impacts 
that Hurricane Katrina exacted upon the Gulf 
Region of the United States especially in New 
Orleans and surrounding parishes, and im-
pacted areas of Mississippi and Alabama; and 
(B) shall include relevant facts and cir-
cumstances relating to— 
(i) Federal emergency response plan-
ning and execution at the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security, the White 
House, and all other Federal entities with 
responsibility for assisting during, and re-
sponding to, natural disasters; 
(ii) military and law enforcement re-
sponse planning and execution; 
(iii) Federal mitigation plans, pro-
grams, and policies including prior assess-
ments of existing vulnerabilities and exer-
cises designed to test those vulnerabilities; 
(iv) Federal, State, and local commu-
nication interoperability successes and fail-
ures;
(v) past, present, and future Federal 
budgetary provisions for preparedness, 
mitigation, response, and recovery; 
(vi) the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency’s response capabilities as an 
independent agency and as part of the De-
partment of Homeland Security; 
(vii) the role of congressional over-
sight and resource allocation; 
(viii) other areas of the public and 
private sectors determined relevant by the 
Commission for its inquiry; and 
(ix) long-term needs for people im-
pacted by Hurricane Katrina and other 
forms of Federal assistance necessary for 
large-scale recovery; 
(2) identify, review, and evaluate the lessons 
learned from Hurricane Katrina including coordina-
tion, management policies, and procedures of the 
Federal Government, State and local governments, 
and nongovernmental entities, relative to detection, 
planning, mitigation, asset prepositioning, and re-
sponding to cataclysmic natural disasters such as 
Hurricane Katrina; and