I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2370
To improve homeland security by providing for national resilience in 
preparation for, and in the event of, a terrorist attack, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2003
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
the Committees on the Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 
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 improve homeland security by providing for national resil-
ience in preparation for, and in the event of, a terrorist 
attack, 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 ‘‘National Resilience 
Development Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) According to the New England Journal of 
Medicine, after September 11, 2001, Americans 
across the country, including children, had substan-
tial symptoms of stress. Even clinicians who practice 
in regions that are far from the sites of the attacks 
should be prepared to assist people with trauma-re-
lated symptoms of stress. 
(2) According to Military Medicine, experiences 
from the 1995 chemical weapons attack by terrorists 
in the Tokyo subway system suggest that psycho-
logical casualties from a chemical attack will out-
number physical casualties by approximately 4 to 1. 
(3) According to Military Medicine, victims 
from the 1995 Tokyo attack continued to suffer 
from psychological symptoms 5 years later. 
(4) According to the Journal of the American 
Medical Association, the lessons learned from the 
2001 anthrax attacks should motivate local health 
departments, health care organizations, and clini-
cians to engage in collaborative programs to enhance 
their communications and local preparedness and re-
sponse capabilities. 
(5) According to the Institute of Medicine of 
the National Academy of Sciences, the Department 
of Health and Human Services and the Department
of Homeland Security should analyze terrorism pre-
paredness to ensure that the public health infra-
structure is prepared to respond to the psychological 
consequences of terrorism, and Federal, State, and 
local disaster planers should address these psycho-
logical consequences in their planning and prepared-
ness for terrorist attacks. 
(6) According to a national study by leading 
health care foundations, in this time of growing 
threats of terrorism, many doctors and other pri-
mary care providers are increasingly being con-
fronted with patients who complain of aches and 
pains, or more serious symptoms, which mask seri-
ous anxiety or depression. 
(7) Substantial effort and funding are still 
needed to adequately understand and prepare for the 
psychological consequences associated with bioter-
rorism. 
(8) The integration of mental health into public 
health efforts, including integration and cooperation 
across Federal agencies and State public health and 
mental health authorities, is critical in addressing 
the psychological needs of the Nation with regard to 
terrorism.
SEC. 3. GOALS. 
The goals of this Act are as follows: 
(1) To coordinate the efforts of different gov-
ernment agencies in researching, developing, and im-
plementing programs and protocols designed to in-
crease the psychological resilience and mitigate dis-
tress reactions and maladaptive behaviors of the 
American public as they relate to terrorism. 
(2) To facilitate the work of the Department of 
Homeland Security by incorporating programs and 
protocols designed to increase the psychological resil-
ience, 
and 
mitigate 
distress 
reactions 
and 
maladaptive behaviors, of the American public into 
the Department’s efforts in reducing the vulner-
ability of the United States to terrorism. 
(3) To identify effective interventions to the 
harmful psychosocial consequences of disasters and 
to integrate these interventions into the United 
States’ plans to mitigate, plan for, respond to, and 
recover from potential and actual terrorist attacks. 
(4) To enable the States and localities to effec-
tively respond to the psychosocial consequences of 
terrorism. 
(5) To integrate mental health and public 
health emergency preparedness and response efforts 
in the United States.
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON NATIONAL RESIL-
IENCE. 
Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
241 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 319K 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 319L. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON NATIONAL RE-
SILIENCE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall convene 
and lead an interagency task force for the purpose of in-
creasing the psychological resilience and mitigating dis-
tress reactions and maladaptive behaviors of the American 
public in preparation for, and in response to, a conven-
tional, biological, chemical, or radiological attack on the 
United States. 
‘‘(b) MEMBERS.—The task force convened under this 
section shall include the Director of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, the Director of the National 
Institute of Mental Health, the Administrator of the Sub-
stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, the Director of the Office of Public 
Health Emergency Preparedness, the Surgeon General of 
the Public Health Service, and such other members as the 
Secretary deems appropriate. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The duties of the task force convened 
under this section shall include the following:
‘‘(1) Coordinating and facilitating the efforts of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 
the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
the Office of Public Health Emergency Prepared-
ness, and the Office of the Surgeon General of the 
Public Health Service in their endeavors to develop 
programs and protocols designed to increase the psy-
chological resilience and mitigate distress reactions 
and maladaptive behaviors of the American public in 
preparation for, and in response to, a conventional, 
biological, chemical, or radiological attack on the 
United States. 
‘‘(2) Consulting with, and providing guidance 
to, the Department of Homeland Security in its ef-
forts to integrate into its efforts in reducing the vul-
nerability of the United States to terrorism, pro-
grams and protocols designed to increase the psycho-
logical resilience and mitigate distress reactions and 
maladaptive behaviors of the American public in 
preparation for, and in response to, a conventional, 
biological, chemical, or radiological attack on the 
United States.
‘‘(3) Consulting with the Department of De-
fense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
American Red Cross, national organizations of 
health care and health care providers, and such 
other organizations and agencies as the task force 
deems appropriate. 
‘‘(4) Consulting with and providing guidance to 
the States for the purpose of enabling them to effec-
tively respond to the psychosocial consequences of 
terrorism. 
‘‘(5) Developing strategies for encouraging 
State public health and mental health agencies to 
closely collaborate in the development of integrated, 
science-based programs and protocols designed to in-
crease the psychological resilience and mitigate dis-
tress reactions and maladaptive behaviors of the 
public in preparation for, and in response to, a con-
ventional, biological, chemical, or radiological attack 
on the United States. 
‘‘(6) Preparing and presenting to the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of 
Homeland Security specific recommendations on how 
their respective departments, agencies, and offices 
can strengthen existing and planned terrorism pre-
paredness, response, recovery, and mitigation initia-
tives by integrating programs and protocols designed 
to increase the psychological resilience and mitigate 
distress reactions and maladaptive behaviors of the 
American public. 
‘‘(d) MEETINGS.—The task force convened under this 
section shall meet not less than 4 times each year. 
‘‘(e) STAFF.—The Secretary shall staff the task force 
as necessary to ensure it meets the goals set forth in sec-
tion 3 of the National Resilience Development Act of 
2003.’’. 
SEC. 5. MENTAL HEALTH ACTIVITIES OF STATES, DISTRICT 
OF COLUMBIA, AND TERRITORIES REGARD-
ING NATIONAL RESILIENCE. 
(a) PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.—
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—Subsection (d) of section 
319C–1 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d–3a) is amended by inserting after paragraph 
(18) the following: 
‘‘(19) To enable State mental health authori-
ties, in close collaboration with the respective State 
public health authorities and the interagency task 
force convened under section 319L, to better under-
stand and manage human emotional, behavioral, and 
cognitive responses to disasters, including by in-
creasing the psychological resilience of the public
and mitigating distress reactions and maladaptive 
behaviors that could occur in response to a conven-
tional, biological, chemical, or radiological attack on 
the United States.’’. 
(2) FUNDING.—Subparagraph (B) of section 
319C–1(j)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d–3a(j)(1)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: ‘‘Not less than 1 percent of the 
amounts appropriated pursuant to this subpara-
graph shall be used for the purpose of carrying out 
subsection (d)(19).’’. 
(b) USA PATRIOT ACT.—
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—Subsection (b) of section 
1014 of the Uniting and Strengthening America by 
Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept 
and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act 
of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 3714) is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘may be used to purchase’’ 
and inserting ‘‘may be used for the following: 
‘‘(1) To purchase’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘In addition, grants under 
this section may be used to construct’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(2) To construct’’; and 
(C) by inserting at the end the following:
‘‘(3) To enable State mental health authorities, 
in close collaboration with the respective State public 
health authorities and the interagency task force 
convened under section 319L of the Public Health 
Service Act, to better understand and manage 
human emotional, behavioral, and cognitive re-
sponses to disasters, including by increasing the psy-
chological resilience of the public and mitigating dis-
tress reactions and maladaptive behaviors that could 
occur in response to a conventional, biological, chem-
ical, or radiological attack on the United States.’’. 
(2) FUNDING.—Subsection (c) of section 1014 
of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Pro-
viding Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and 
Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 
2001 (42 U.S.C. 3714) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(4) MENTAL
HEALTH
PREPAREDNESS.—Not 
less than 1 percent of the amounts appropriated 
pursuant to this subsection shall be used for the 
purpose of carrying out subsection (b)(3).’’. 
SEC. 6. EFFORTS BY FEMA REGARDING NATIONAL RESIL-
IENCE. 
Paragraph (2) of section 507(a) of the Homeland Se-
curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 317(a)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘; and’’ at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) of integrating into each of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency’s func-
tions of mitigation, planning, response, and re-
covery, efforts to increase communities’ psycho-
logical resilience and decrease distress reactions 
and maladaptive behaviors in individuals, and 
of coordinating such efforts with efforts by the 
interagency task force convened under section 
319L of the Public Health Service Act and 
other efforts by the Department of Homeland 
Security.’’. 
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT BY SECRETARIES OF HHS AND 
HOMELAND SECURITY. 
Not less than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Home-
land Security, acting jointly, shall submit a report to the 
Congress that includes the following: 
(1) The recommendations of the interagency 
task force convened under section 319L of the Pub-
lic Health Service Act (as amended by section 4 of 
this Act) that are relevant to the Department of 
Health and Human Services or the Department of 
Homeland Security. 
(2) A description of the steps that have or have 
not been taken by each Federal department to im-
plement the recommendations described in para-
graph (1). 
(3) Thorough explanations for rejection of any 
recommendations made by the interagency task force 
convened under section 319L. 
(4) Other steps undertaken to meet the goals of 
this Act.
Æ