H. R. 5441—47
Department for fiscal year 2007, or any succeeding fiscal year, 
relating to the reprogramming or transfer of funds. 
‘‘SEC. 507. REGIONAL OFFICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are in the Agency 10 regional offices, 
as identified by the Administrator. 
‘‘(b) MANAGEMENT OF REGIONAL OFFICES.—
‘‘(1) REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR.—Each Regional Office shall 
be headed by a Regional Administrator who shall be appointed 
by the Administrator, after consulting with State, local, and 
tribal government officials in the region. Each Regional 
Administrator shall report directly to the Administrator and 
be in the Senior Executive Service. 
‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Regional Administrator shall 
be appointed from among individuals who have a dem-
onstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency manage-
ment and homeland security. 
‘‘(B) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
selecting 
a 
Regional 
Administrator for a Regional Office, the Administrator shall 
consider the familiarity of an individual with the geo-
graphical area and demographic characteristics of the popu-
lation served by such Regional Office. 
‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Regional Administrator shall work 
in partnership with State, local, and tribal governments, emer-
gency managers, emergency response providers, medical pro-
viders, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, 
multijurisdictional councils of governments, and regional plan-
ning commissions and organizations in the geographical area 
served by the Regional Office to carry out the responsibilities 
of a Regional Administrator under this section. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of a Regional 
Administrator include—
‘‘(A) ensuring effective, coordinated, and integrated 
regional preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and 
mitigation activities and programs for natural disasters, 
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters (including 
planning, training, exercises, and professional develop-
ment); 
‘‘(B) assisting in the development of regional capabili-
ties needed for a national catastrophic response system; 
‘‘(C) coordinating the establishment of effective regional 
operable and interoperable emergency communications 
capabilities; 
‘‘(D) staffing and overseeing 1 or more strike teams 
within the region under subsection (f), to serve as the 
focal point of the Federal Government’s initial response 
efforts for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other 
man-made disasters within that region, and otherwise 
building Federal response capabilities to respond to natural 
disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters 
within that region; 
‘‘(E) designating an individual responsible for the 
development of strategic and operational regional plans 
in support of the National Response Plan;
H. R. 5441—48
‘‘(F) fostering the development of mutual aid and other 
cooperative agreements; 
‘‘(G) identifying critical gaps in regional capabilities 
to respond to populations with special needs; 
‘‘(H) maintaining and operating a Regional Response 
Coordination Center or its successor; and 
‘‘(I) performing such other duties relating to such 
responsibilities as the Administrator may require. 
‘‘(3) TRAINING AND EXERCISE REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(A) TRAINING.—The Administrator shall require each 
Regional Administrator to undergo specific training periodi-
cally to complement the qualifications of the Regional 
Administrator. Such training, as appropriate, shall include 
training with respect to the National Incident Management 
System, the National Response Plan, and such other sub-
jects as determined by the Administrator. 
‘‘(B) EXERCISES.—The Administrator shall require each 
Regional Administrator to participate as appropriate in 
regional and national exercises. 
‘‘(d) AREA OFFICES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is an Area Office for the Pacific 
and an Area Office for the Caribbean, as components in the 
appropriate Regional Offices. 
‘‘(2) ALASKA.—The Administrator shall establish an Area 
Office in Alaska, as a component in the appropriate Regional 
Office. 
‘‘(e) REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each Regional Administrator shall 
establish a Regional Advisory Council. 
‘‘(2) NOMINATIONS.—A State, local, or tribal government 
located within the geographic area served by the Regional 
Office may nominate officials, including Adjutants General and 
emergency managers, to serve as members of the Regional 
Advisory Council for that region. 
‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each Regional Advisory Council 
shall—
‘‘(A) advise the Regional Administrator on emergency 
management issues specific to that region; 
‘‘(B) identify any geographic, demographic, or other 
characteristics peculiar to any State, local, or tribal govern-
ment within the region that might make preparedness, 
protection, response, recovery, or mitigation more com-
plicated or difficult; and 
‘‘(C) advise the Regional Administrator of any weak-
nesses or deficiencies in preparedness, protection, response, 
recovery, and mitigation for any State, local, and tribal 
government within the region of which the Regional 
Advisory Council is aware. 
‘‘(f) REGIONAL OFFICE STRIKE TEAMS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In coordination with other relevant Fed-
eral agencies, each Regional Administrator shall oversee multi-
agency strike teams authorized under section 303 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5144) that shall consist of—
‘‘(A) a designated Federal coordinating officer; 
‘‘(B) personnel trained in incident management;
H. R. 5441—49
‘‘(C) public affairs, response and recovery, and commu-
nications support personnel; 
‘‘(D) a defense coordinating officer; 
‘‘(E) liaisons to other Federal agencies; 
‘‘(F) such other personnel as the Administrator or 
Regional Administrator determines appropriate; and 
‘‘(G) individuals from the agencies with primary 
responsibility for each of the emergency support functions 
in the National Response Plan. 
‘‘(2) OTHER DUTIES.—The duties of an individual assigned 
to a Regional Office strike team from another relevant agency 
when such individual is not functioning as a member of the 
strike team shall be consistent with the emergency prepared-
ness activities of the agency that employs such individual. 
‘‘(3) LOCATION
OF
MEMBERS.—The members of each 
Regional Office strike team, including representatives from 
agencies other than the Department, shall be based primarily 
within the region that corresponds to that strike team. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION.—Each Regional Office strike team shall 
coordinate the training and exercises of that strike team with 
the State, local, and tribal governments and private sector 
and nongovernmental entities which the strike team shall sup-
port when a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-
made disaster occurs. 
‘‘(5) PREPAREDNESS.—Each Regional Office strike team 
shall be trained as a unit on a regular basis and equipped 
and staffed to be well prepared to respond to natural disasters, 
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, including 
catastrophic incidents. 
‘‘(6) AUTHORITIES.—If the Administrator determines that 
statutory authority is inadequate for the preparedness and 
deployment of individuals in strike teams under this subsection, 
the Administrator shall report to Congress regarding the addi-
tional statutory authorities that the Administrator determines 
are necessary. 
‘‘SEC. 508. NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform 
Act of 2006, the Secretary shall establish an advisory body under 
section 871(a) to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of Fed-
eral preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation 
for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disas-
ters, to be known as the National Advisory Council. 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The National Advisory Council shall 
advise the Administrator on all aspects of emergency management. 
The National Advisory Council shall incorporate State, local, and 
tribal government and private sector input in the development 
and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national 
preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, 
the National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies. 
‘‘(c) MEMBERSHIP.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the National Advisory 
Council shall be appointed by the Administrator, and shall, 
to the extent practicable, represent a geographic (including 
urban and rural) and substantive cross section of officials, 
emergency managers, and emergency response providers from
H. R. 5441—50
State, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and 
nongovernmental organizations, including as appropriate—
‘‘(A) members selected from the emergency manage-
ment field and emergency response providers, including 
fire 
service, 
law 
enforcement, 
hazardous 
materials 
response, emergency medical services, and emergency 
management personnel, or organizations representing such 
individuals; 
‘‘(B) health scientists, emergency and inpatient medical 
providers, and public health professionals; 
‘‘(C) experts from Federal, State, local, and tribal 
governments, and the private sector, representing stand-
ards-setting and accrediting organizations, including rep-
resentatives from the voluntary consensus codes and stand-
ards development community, particularly those with 
expertise in the emergency preparedness and response 
field; 
‘‘(D) State, local, and tribal government officials with 
expertise in preparedness, protection, response, recovery, 
and mitigation, including Adjutants General; 
‘‘(E) elected State, local, and tribal government execu-
tives; 
‘‘(F) experts in public and private sector infrastructure 
protection, cybersecurity, and communications; 
‘‘(G) representatives of individuals with disabilities and 
other populations with special needs; and 
‘‘(H) such other individuals as the Administrator deter-
mines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION WITH THE DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH AND 
HUMAN
SERVICES
AND
TRANSPORTATION.—In the selection of 
members of the National Advisory Council who are health 
or emergency medical services professionals, the Administrator 
shall work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
and the Secretary of Transportation. 
‘‘(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Administrator shall des-
ignate 1 or more officers of the Federal Government to serve 
as ex officio members of the National Advisory Council. 
‘‘(4) TERMS OF OFFICE.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), the term of office of each member of the National 
Advisory Council shall be 3 years. 
‘‘(B) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Of the members initially 
appointed to the National Advisory Council—
‘‘(i) one-third shall be appointed for a term of 1 
year; and 
‘‘(ii) one-third shall be appointed for a term of 
2 years. 
‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 871(a) and sub-
ject to paragraph (2), the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(5 U.S.C. App.), including subsections (a), (b), and (d) of section 
10 of such Act, and section 552b(c) of title 5, United States 
Code, shall apply to the National Advisory Council. 
‘‘(2) TERMINATION.—Section 14(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the National 
Advisory Council.