289 
capabilities necessary to respond to natural disasters, acts of ter-
rorism, and other man-made disasters while also building the 
unique capabilities necessary to respond to specific types of inci-
dents that pose the greatest risk to our Nation. 
(b) ADMINISTRATOR.— 
(1) REPORTING.—The Administrator shall report to the Secretary, 
without being required to report through another official of the Depart-
ment. 
(2) PRINCIPAL ADVISOR ON EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator is the principal advisor to 
the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary 
for all matters relating to emergency management in the United 
States. 
(B) ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(i) RANGE OF OPTIONS.—In presenting advice with respect 
to a matter to the President, the Homeland Security Council, 
or the Secretary, the Administrator shall, as the Adminis-
trator considers appropriate, inform the President, the Home-
land Security Council, or the Secretary, as the case may be, 
of the range of emergency preparedness, protection, response, 
recovery, and mitigation options with respect to that matter. 
(ii) ADVICE ON A PARTICULAR MATTER.—The Adminis-
trator, as the principal advisor on emergency management, 
shall provide advice to the President, the Homeland Security 
Council, or the Secretary on a particular matter when the 
President, the Homeland Security Council, or the Secretary 
requests advice. 
(iii) RECOMMENDATIONS.—After informing the Secretary, 
the Administrator may make recommendations to Congress 
relating to emergency management the Administrator con-
siders appropriate. 
(3) CABINET STATUS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The President may designate the Adminis-
trator to serve as a member of the Cabinet in the event of natural 
disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters. 
(B) RETENTION OF AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this paragraph 
shall be construed as affecting the authority of the Secretary 
under this subtitle. 
§ 11103. Authority and responsibilities 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide Federal leadership 
necessary to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, or miti-
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gate against a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made dis-
aster, including— 
(1) helping to ensure the effectiveness of emergency response pro-
viders to terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies; 
(2) with respect to the Nuclear Incident Response Team (regardless 
of whether it is operating as an organizational unit of the Department 
pursuant to this chapter)— 
(A) establishing standards and certifying when those standards 
have been met; 
(B) conducting joint and other exercises, and training and eval-
uating performance; and 
(C) providing funds to the Department of Energy and the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, as appropriate, for homeland secu-
rity planning, exercises and training, and equipment; 
(3) providing the Federal Government’s response to terrorist attacks 
and major disasters, including— 
(A) managing the response; 
(B) directing the Domestic Emergency Support Team and 
(when operating as an organizational unit of the Department pur-
suant to this chapter) the Nuclear Incident Response Team; 
(C) overseeing the Metropolitan Medical Response System; and 
(D) coordinating other Federal response resources, including re-
quiring deployment of the Strategic National Stockpile, in the 
event of a terrorist attack or major disaster; 
(4) aiding the recovery from terrorist attacks and major disasters; 
(5) building a comprehensive national incident management system 
with Federal, State, and local government personnel, agencies, and au-
thorities, to respond to attacks and disasters; 
(6) consolidating existing Federal Government emergency response 
plans into a single, coordinated national response plan; 
(7) helping ensure the acquisition of operable and interoperable com-
munications capabilities by Federal, State, local, and tribal govern-
ments and emergency response providers; 
(8) assisting the President in carrying out the functions under the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and carrying out all functions and authorities 
given to the Administrator under that Act; 
(9) carrying out the mission of the Agency to reduce the loss of life 
and property and protect the Nation from all hazards by leading and 
supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency man-
agement system of— 
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(A) mitigation, by taking sustained actions to reduce or elimi-
nate long-term risks to people and property from hazards and 
their effects; 
(B) preparedness, by planning, training, and building the emer-
gency management profession to prepare effectively for, mitigate 
against, respond to, and recover from a hazard; 
(C) response, by conducting emergency operations to save lives 
and property through positioning emergency equipment, personnel, 
and supplies, through evacuating potential victims, through pro-
viding food, water, shelter, and medical care to those in need, and 
through restoring critical public services; and 
(D) recovery, by rebuilding communities so individuals, busi-
nesses, and governments can function on their own, return to nor-
mal life, and protect against future hazards; 
(10) increasing efficiencies, by coordinating efforts relating to pre-
paredness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation; 
(11) helping to ensure the effectiveness of emergency response pro-
viders in responding to a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other 
man-made disaster; 
(12) supervising grant programs administered by the Agency; 
(13) administering and ensuring the implementation of the National 
Response Plan, including coordinating and ensuring the readiness of 
each emergency support function under the National Response Plan; 
(14) coordinating with the National Advisory Council established 
under section 11108 of this title; 
(15) preparing and implementing the plans and programs of the 
Federal Government for— 
(A) continuity of operations; 
(B) continuity of government; and 
(C) continuity of plans; 
(16) minimizing, to the extent practicable, overlapping planning and 
reporting requirements applicable to State, local, and tribal govern-
ments and the private sector; 
(17) maintaining and operating within the Agency the National Re-
sponse Coordination Center or its successor; 
(18) developing a national emergency management system that is ca-
pable of preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering 
from, and mitigating against catastrophic incidents; 
(19) assisting the President in carrying out the functions under the 
national preparedness goal and the national preparedness system and 
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carrying out all functions and authorities of the Administrator under 
the national preparedness system; 
(20) carrying out all authorities of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency and the Directorate of Preparedness of the Department 
as transferred under section 11105 of this title; and 
(21) otherwise carrying out the mission of the Agency as described 
in section 11102(a) of this title. 
(b) ALL-HAZARDS APPROACH.—In carrying out the responsibilities under 
this section, the Administrator shall coordinate the implementation of a 
risk-based, all-hazards strategy that builds those common capabilities nec-
essary to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, or mitigate 
against natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, 
while also building the unique capabilities necessary to prepare for, protect 
against, respond to, recover from, or mitigate against the risks of specific 
types of incidents that pose the greatest risk to the Nation. 
§ 11104. Preparedness programs 
The Administrator is responsible for the radiological emergency prepared-
ness program and the chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program. 
§ 11105. Functions transferred 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection (b), there are trans-
ferred to the Agency the following: 
(1) All functions of the Agency, including existing responsibilities for 
emergency alert systems and continuity of operations and continuity of 
government plans and programs as constituted on June 1, 2006, in-
cluding all of its personnel, assets, components, authorities, grant pro-
grams, and liabilities, and including the functions of the former Under 
Secretary for Federal Emergency Management relating to the Agency. 
(2) The former Directorate of Preparedness, as constituted on June 
1, 2006, including all of its functions, personnel, assets, components, 
authorities, grant programs, and liabilities, and including the functions 
of the Under Secretary for Preparedness relating to the Directorate. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—The following in the former Directorate of Prepared-
ness shall not be transferred: 
(1) The Office of Infrastructure Protection. 
(2) The National Communications System. 
(3) The National Cybersecurity Division. 
(4) The Office of the Chief Medical Officer. 
(5) The functions, personnel, assets, components, authorities, and li-
abilities of each component described under paragraphs (1) through 
(4). 
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