(A) FEDERAL
CO-CHAIR.—The Secretary 
shall be Federal co-chair. 
(B) NON-FEDERAL CO-CHAIR.—The Coun-
cil members appointed under subparagraphs 
(G) through (K) of subsection (b)(1) shall se-
lect, on a biannual basis, a non-Federal co-chair 
of the Council from among the members ap-
pointed under those subparagraphs. 
(3) LEAD
FEDERAL
COORDINATING
AGEN-
CIES.—
(A) For the purpose of implementing sec-
tion 102(a)(4), the Secretary of Commerce, in 
coordination with the Secretary, shall act as the 
lead Federal coordinating agency. 
(B) For the purpose of implementing sec-
tion 102(a)(5), section 102(a)(6), and section 
302, the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec-
retary of the Army shall jointly act as the lead 
Federal coordinating agency. 
(C) For the purpose of implementing sec-
tion 301, the Secretary, in coordination with 
the other Lead Federal coordinating agencies, 
shall act as the lead Federal coordinating agen-
cy. 
(g) DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office 
shall serve as Secretary of the Council. 
(2) DUTIES.—The Director of the Office shall 
serve the interests of all members of the Council. 
(h) COOPERATION FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.—The head of each department and agency of the 
executive branch shall cooperate when appropriate with 
the Lead Federal coordinating agencies to carry out the 
requirements of section 101(f)(3). 
SEC. 102. DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall—
(1) not later than 1 year after the date of the 
first meeting of the Council, develop a comprehen-
sive National Drought Policy Action Plan that—
(A)(i) delineates and integrates responsibil-
ities for activities relating to drought (including 
drought preparedness, mitigation, research, risk 
management, training, and emergency relief) 
among Federal agencies; and 
(ii) ensures that those activities are coordi-
nated with the activities of the States, local 
governments, Indian tribes, and neighboring 
countries; 
(B) is consistent with—
(i) this Act and other applicable Fed-
eral laws; and 
(ii) the laws and policies of the States 
for water management; 
(C) is integrated with drought manage-
ment programs of the States, Indian tribes, 
local governments, watershed groups, and pri-
vate entities; and 
(D) avoids duplicating Federal, State, trib-
al, local, watershed, and private drought pre-
paredness and monitoring programs in exist-
ence on the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) evaluate Federal drought-related programs 
in existence on the date of enactment of this Act and 
make recommendations to Congress and the Presi-
dent on means of eliminating—
(A) discrepancies between the goals of the 
programs and actual service delivery; 
(B) duplication among programs; and 
(C) any other circumstances that interfere 
with the effective operation of the programs; 
(3) make recommendations to the President, 
Congress, and appropriate Federal Agencies on—
(A) the establishment of common inter-
agency triggers for authorizing Federal drought 
mitigation programs; and 
(B) improving the consistency and fairness 
of assistance among Federal drought relief pro-
grams; 
(4) coordinate and prioritize specific activities 
that will improve the National Integrated Drought 
System by— 
(A) taking into consideration the limited 
resources for—
(i) drought monitoring, prediction, 
and research activities; and 
(ii) water supply forecasting; and 
(B) providing for the development of an ef-
fective drought information delivery system 
that—
(i) communicates drought conditions 
and impacts to—
(I) decisionmakers at the Fed-
eral, regional, State, tribal, and local 
levels of government; 
(II) the private sector; and 
(III) the public; and
(ii) includes near-real-time data, infor-
mation, and products developed at the 
Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local 
levels of government that reflect regional 
and State differences in drought condi-
tions; 
(5) encourage and facilitate the development of 
drought preparedness plans under subtitle C, includ-
ing establishing the guidelines under sections 301(c) 
and 302(a); 
(6) based on a review of drought preparedness 
plans, develop and make available to the public 
drought planning models to reduce water resource 
conflicts 
relating 
to 
water 
conservation 
and 
droughts; 
(7) develop and coordinate public awareness ac-
tivities to provide the public with access to under-
standable, and informative materials on drought, in-
cluding—
(A) explanations of the causes of drought, 
the impacts of drought, and the damages from 
drought; 
(B) descriptions of the value and benefits 
of land stewardship to reduce the impacts of 
drought and to protect the environment;