SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) was 
established to provide aid and coordinate Federal 
disaster relief in response to a major disaster. 
(2) The effect of the terrorist attack on Sep-
tember 11, 2001, on New York City, New York, was 
declared a major disaster as defined by the Act. 
(3) The terrorist attacks on September 11, 
2001, brought forth new challenges never dealt with 
before in a major disaster. 
(4) These new challenges and lack of com-
prehensive authority to deal with them, as defined 
by current law, slowed down and complicated Fed-
eral disaster relief for the New York and Wash-
ington Metropolitan Areas, and exposed weaknesses 
in the authorities Federal agencies have to respond 
to a homeland security event. 
(5) Officials throughout the Administration and 
intelligence community assert that another attack is 
inevitable so it is imperative to establish new author-
ity to address the inadequacies in the existing sys-
tem of response. 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF MAJOR DISASTER. 
Section 102(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(2)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘or explosion’’ and inserting ‘‘ex-
plosion, terrorist attack (including a biological, nuclear, 
chemical, or small arms attack and a cyber-attack on com-
puter systems), dispersion of radioactive or other contami-
nants, dispersion of hazardous substances, or other cata-
strophic event’’. 
SEC. 4. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS OF PUBLIC FACILITY. 
Section 102(9) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(9)) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(9) PUBLIC FACILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the term ‘public facility’ 
means the following facilities owned by a State 
or local government: 
‘‘(i) Any flood control, navigation, ir-
rigation, reclamation, public power, sewage 
treatment and collection, water supply and 
distribution, watershed development, or 
airport facility. 
‘‘(ii) Any non-Federal-aid street, road, 
or highway. 
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‘‘(iii) Any other public building, struc-
ture, or system, including those used for 
educational, recreational, or cultural pur-
poses. 
‘‘(iv) Any park. 
‘‘(B) HOMELAND
SECURITY
EVENT.—In 
the case of a homeland security event as de-
scribed in section 425, the term ‘public facility’ 
also includes private for-profit telecommuni-
cations and phone services and private for-prof-
it utilities (including power, water (including 
water provided by an irrigation organization or 
facility), sewer, and wastewater treatment) ex-
cept that for-profit utilities shall be covered 
only for structures and property losses that 
occur during a homeland security event if such 
losses are not covered by such utility’s insur-
ance policies.’’. 
SEC. 5. HOMELAND SECURITY EVENTS. 
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 425. HOMELAND SECURITY EVENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—At the request of the Governor 
of the affected State, the President may declare that a 
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major disaster constitutes a homeland security event for 
the purposes of this section. Such a request shall be based 
on a finding that Federal assistance is necessary because 
the event poses a significant risk to the security of the 
people and property of the Nation and is of such severity 
and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capa-
bility of the affected State and local government. 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.—In any homeland secu-
rity event, in addition to providing other assistance made 
available under this title in a major disaster, the President 
may— 
‘‘(1) establish a coordinating office and appoint 
a disaster recovery director— 
‘‘(A) to work with and coordinate efforts 
with the Federal coordinating officer appointed 
under section 302; 
‘‘(B) to oversee and coordinate the timely 
distribution of Federal assistance to persons in-
jured in such disaster; 
‘‘(C) to develop methods to expedite claims 
for relief and assistance by individuals and 
businesses; 
‘‘(D) coordinate long-term recovery efforts 
with State and local authorities; and 
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