‘‘(k) LICENSES AND PERMITS.—If a System member 
holds a valid license, certificate, or other permit issued by 
any State or other governmental jurisdiction evidencing 
the member’s qualifications in any professional, mechan-
ical, or other skill or type of assistance required by the 
System, the System member shall be deemed to be per-
forming a Federal activity when rendering aid involving 
such skill or assistance during a period of appointment 
into Federal service under subsection (f)(1). 
‘‘(l) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish and maintain an advisory committee to pro-
vide expert recommendations to the Administrator in 
order to assist the Administrator in administering 
the System. 
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The advisory committee 
shall be composed of members from geographically 
diverse areas, and shall include— 
‘‘(A) the chief officer or senior executive 
from at least 3 sponsoring agencies; 
‘‘(B) the senior emergency manager from 
at least 2 States that include sponsoring agen-
cies; and 
‘‘(C) at least one representative rec-
ommended by the leaders of the task forces. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:49 Nov 17, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4158.IH
H4158
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
‘‘(3) INAPPLICABILITY
OF
TERMINATION
RE-
QUIREMENT.—Section 14(a)(2) of the Federal Advi-
sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 
to the advisory committee under this subsection. 
‘‘(m) 
PREPAREDNESS
COOPERATIVE
AGREE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 
of appropriations for such purpose, the Adminis-
trator shall enter into an annual preparedness coop-
erative agreement with each sponsoring agency. 
Amounts made available to a sponsoring agency 
under such a preparedness cooperative agreement 
shall be for the following purposes: 
‘‘(A) Training and exercises with other 
Federal, State, and local government response 
entities. 
‘‘(B) Acquisition and maintenance of 
equipment, including interoperable communica-
tions and personal protective equipment. 
‘‘(C) Medical monitoring required for re-
sponder safety and health in anticipation of and 
following a major disaster, emergency, or other 
hazard, as determined by the Administrator. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Not-
withstanding section 1552(b) of title 31, United 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:49 Nov 17, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4158.IH
H4158
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
States Code, amounts made available for cooperative 
agreements under this subsection that are not ex-
pended shall be deposited in an Agency account and 
shall remain available for such agreements without 
fiscal year limitation. 
‘‘(n) RESPONSE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 
Administrator shall enter into a response cooperative 
agreement with each sponsoring agency, as appropriate, 
under which the Administrator agrees to reimburse the 
sponsoring agency for costs incurred by the sponsoring 
agency in responding to a major disaster, emergency, or 
other hazard as determined by the Administrator. 
‘‘(o) OBLIGATIONS.—The Administrator may incur 
all necessary obligations consistent with this section in 
order to ensure the effectiveness of the System. 
‘‘(p) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $52,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011. Such 
sums shall be in addition to amounts made available 
from the Disaster Relief Fund for response coopera-
tive agreements entered into under subsection (n). 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—The Ad-
ministrator may use not to exceed 6 percent of the 
funds appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:49 Nov 17, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4158.IH
H4158
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
paragraph (1) for salaries, expenses, and other ad-
ministrative costs incurred by the Administrator in 
carrying out this section.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) APPLICABILITY
OF
TITLE
5, 
UNITED 
STATES CODE.—Section 8101(1) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (D) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (E) by inserting 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) an individual who is a System mem-
ber of the National Urban Search and Rescue 
Response System during a period of appoint-
ment into Federal service pursuant to section 
327 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act.’’. 
(2) INCLUSION AS PART OF UNIFORMED SERV-
ICES FOR PURPOSES OF USERRA.—Section 4303 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (13) by inserting ‘‘a pe-
riod for which a System member of the Na-
tional Urban Search and Rescue Response Sys-
tem is absent from a position of employment 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
01:49 Nov 17, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4158.IH
H4158
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
due to an appointment into Federal service 
under section 327 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act,’’ before ‘‘, and a period’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (16) by inserting after 
‘‘Public Health Service,’’ the following: ‘‘, Sys-
tem members of the National Urban Search 
and Rescue Response System during a period of 
appointment into Federal service under section 
327 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act,’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
02:51 Nov 17, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4158.IH
H4158
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS