I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7218 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act to authorize funding for emergency management performance grants 
to provide for domestic preparedness and collective response to the cata-
strophic incidents, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition 
to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act to authorize funding for emergency 
management performance grants to provide for domestic 
preparedness and collective response to the catastrophic 
incidents, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE 
GRANTS. 
Subtitle B of title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Oct 08, 2008
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7218.IH
H7218
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS
HR 7218 IH
5197 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 
630. 
EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT 
PERFORMANCE 
GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency, shall establish an 
emergency management performance grants program (in 
this section referred to as the ‘program’) to carry out the 
provisions of this title and section 201 to address domestic 
preparedness and collective response to a catastrophic in-
cident. 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL SHARE.—Except as otherwise specifi-
cally provided by this Act, the Federal share of the cost 
of an activity carried out using funds made available under 
the program shall not exceed 50 percent. 
‘‘(c) APPORTIONMENT.—For fiscal year 2009, and 
each fiscal year thereafter, the Administrator shall appor-
tion the amounts appropriated to carry out the program 
among the States as follows: 
‘‘(1) BASELINE
AMOUNT.—The Administrator 
shall first apportion 0.25 percent of such amounts to 
each of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Is-
lands and 0.75 of such amount to each of the re-
maining States. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Oct 08, 2008
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7218.IH
H7218
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS
HR 7218 IH
‘‘(2) REMAINDER.—The Administrator shall ap-
portion the remainder of such amounts in the ratio 
that— 
‘‘(A) the population of each State; bears to 
‘‘(B) the population of all States. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program 
$535,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, $680,000,000 for fis-
cal year 2010, and $815,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 
Such sums shall remain available until expended. 
‘‘(e) CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT DEFINED.—In this 
section the term ‘catastrophic incident’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 501(3) of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311(3)).’’. 
SEC. 2. CONSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CEN-
TERS. 
Section 614 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5196c) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 614. CONSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS 
CENTERS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, may make grants to 
States under this title for equipping, upgrading, and con-
structing emergency operations centers for domestic pre-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Oct 08, 2008
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7218.IH
H7218
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS
HR 7218 IH
paredness and collective response to a catastrophic inci-
dent. 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL SHARE.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of this title, the Federal share of the cost of an 
activity carried out using amounts from grants made 
under this section shall not exceed 75 percent. 
‘‘(c) CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT DEFINED.—In this 
section the term ‘catastrophic incident’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 501(3) of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311(3)).’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Oct 08, 2008
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H7218.IH
H7218
rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with BILLS