I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5910 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide funding for emer-
gency planning and management and emergency response providers, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 26, 2006 
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Homeland Se-
curity, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide 
funding for emergency planning and management and 
emergency response providers, 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preparedness First 
Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Communities face risks to their security and 
safety every day from all different hazards. Whether 
the risk is great for an earthquake, a flood, or a fire, 
communities that do the most coordinated, all-en-
compassing, thorough emergency planning and train-
ing will be most ready for any hazard, including cri-
sis response in the event of a terrorism event. 
(2) By placing the largest Federal priority on 
emergency planning, followed by more specific Fed-
eral assistance for State homeland security pro-
grams, mass casualty medical responses and tar-
geted terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland 
Security can focus State and local goals so that com-
munities are the most prepared for the most broad 
sense of emergency, preparation that can be tailored 
to any type of hazard faced. 
(3) General preparedness for any natural dis-
aster helps preparedness for all disasters. 
(4) The lessons learned from Hurricane 
Katrina showed that the regional structures of the 
Department of Homeland Security must be built up 
and that regional offices are means of fostering 
State, local and private sector integration. 
(5) The 9/11 Discourse Project, made up of 
Members of the 9/11 Commission, gave Congress 
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and the Department of Homeland Security, in their 
final report dated December 5, 2005, a failing grade 
on the distribution of homeland security funding. 
(6) When programs operate out of regional of-
fices, closer relationships are developed among all 
levels of government. 
(7) The Federal response to Hurricane Katrina 
showed the Department of Homeland Security 
lacked sufficient field capabilities. 
SEC. 3. PREPAREDNESS FIRST. 
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new title: 
‘‘TITLE XVIII—FUNDING EMER-
GENCY PLANNING AND RE-
SPONSE 
‘‘SEC. 1801. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘covered grant’ means any grant 
to which this title applies under section 1802. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘directly eligible tribe’ means any 
Indian tribe or consortium of Indian tribes that— 
‘‘(A) meets the criteria for inclusion in the 
qualified applicant pool for self-governance that 
are set forth in section 402(c) of the Indian 
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Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 458bb(c)); 
‘‘(B) employs at least 10 full-time per-
sonnel in a law enforcement or emergency re-
sponse agency with the capacity to respond to 
calls for law enforcement or emergency services; 
and 
‘‘(C)(i) is located on, or within 5 miles of, 
an international border or waterway; 
‘‘(ii) is located within 5 miles of a facility 
designated as high-risk critical infrastructure 
by the Secretary; 
‘‘(iii) is located within or contiguous to one 
of the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas 
in the United States; or 
‘‘(iv) has more than 1,000 square miles of 
Indian country, as that term is defined in sec-
tion 1151 of title 18, United States Code. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘Director’ means the Director of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘emergency preparedness’ means 
all those activities and measures designed or under-
taken to prepare for or minimize the effects of a 
hazard upon the civilian population, to deal with the 
immediate emergency conditions which would be cre-
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ated by the hazard, and to effectuate emergency re-
pairs to, or the emergency restoration of, vital utili-
ties and facilities destroyed or damaged by the haz-
ard. Such term includes the following: 
‘‘(A) Measures to be undertaken in prepa-
ration for anticipated hazards (including the es-
tablishment of appropriate organizations, oper-
ational plans, and supporting agreements, the 
recruitment and training of personnel, the con-
duct of research, the procurement and stock-
piling of necessary materials and supplies, the 
provision of suitable warning systems, the con-
struction or preparation of shelters, shelter 
areas, and control centers, and, when appro-
priate, the nonmilitary evacuation of the civilian 
population). 
‘‘(B) Measures to be undertaken during a 
hazard (including the enforcement of passive 
defense regulations prescribed by duly estab-
lished military or civil authorities, the evacu-
ation of personnel to shelter areas, the control 
of traffic and panic, and the control and use of 
lighting and civil communications). 
‘‘(C) Measures to be undertaken following 
a hazard (including activities for fire fighting, 
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