I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2878
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act to improve Federal response efforts after a terrorist strike or other 
major disaster affecting homeland security, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2003
Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. TOWNS, and Mr. MCNULTY) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on 
Energy and Commerce and Education and the Workforce, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act to improve Federal response efforts 
after a terrorist strike or other major disaster affecting 
homeland security, 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 ‘‘Community Protection 
and Response Act of 2003’’.
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 statute, slowed down and complicated 
Federal 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.
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
‘‘, explosion, terrorist attack (including a biological, nu-
clear, chemical, or small arms attack and a cyber-attack 
on computer systems), dispersion of radioactive or other 
contaminants, dispersion of hazardous substances, or 
other catastrophic event’’; 
SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF PRIVATE NONPROFIT FACILITY. 
Section 102(9) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(9)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In the 
case of a homeland security event, such term also includes 
private for-profit telecommunications and phone services 
and private for-profit utilities (including power, water (in-
cluding water provided by an irrigation organization or fa-
cility), sewer, and wastewater treatment) except 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 
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 compensation to persons 
injured 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 
‘‘(E) work with Federal agencies to de-
velop more effective methods to assist affected 
parties; 
‘‘(2) require that if an office described in para-
graph (1) is established, the disaster recovery direc-
tor—
‘‘(A) shall consult with local officials in de-
veloping a recovery plan; and 
‘‘(B) may appoint an independent claims 
manager to assist in providing assistance; 
‘‘(3) in any case in which a Federal official 
issues a high security alert after a homeland security 
event, provide technical assistance and reimburse-
ment to State and local governments in the disaster 
area for expenses incurred related to such alert, in-
cluding overtime for law enforcement officers for a 
period of time that the President determines is nec-
essary; 
‘‘(4) provide grants to a local government which 
may suffer a substantial loss of tax and other reve-
nues; 
‘‘(5) authorize reimbursement to a school sys-
tem for—
‘‘(A) providing additional classroom in-
struction time and related activities to students 
who lost instructional time as a result of the 
homeland security event; 
‘‘(B) providing mental health and trauma 
counseling and other appropriate support serv-
ices to students suffering from trauma-related 
disorders resulting from the homeland security 
event; 
‘‘(C) providing guidance and grief coun-
seling and mental health services, including 
overtime payment for counselors and mental 
health professionals, for students and school 
staff; 
‘‘(D) clean up and structural inspections 
and repairs of school facilities; 
‘‘(E) textbooks and other school supplies 
and equipment used to support the relocation of 
students from schools in the disaster area; 
‘‘(F) the cost of relocating students, in-
cluding transportation of students to temporary 
school facilities; and 
‘‘(G) loss of perishable food stock and rev-
enue lost from food services; and