ADVANCE Act
Bill: H.R.170 | Sponsor: Rep. Spanberger, Abigail Davis (D-VA)
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Analyzing Disaster Vulnerabilities and Applicable National Capabilities for Emergencies Act or the ADVANCE Act
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct national hazard preparation and response exercises and to report to Congress on such exercises and to report annually on the impact of natural disasters or public health emergencies on critical infrastructure.
Specifically, DHS, in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), must at specified intervals conduct an exercise to test the modeling, simulation, and analysis capabilities and their utility for emergency response of the United States with respect to significant natural disasters or public health emergencies impacting critical infrastructure. Each exercise shall be coordinated through the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center and the DOE National Laboratories and Technology Centers.

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national 
   hazard preparation and response exercises, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Analyzing Disaster Vulnerabilites 
and Applicable National Capabilities for Emergencies Act'' or the 
``ADVANCE Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HAZARD PREPARATION AND RESPONSE EXERCISES.

    (a) Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and not less frequently than twice every year 
thereafter, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 
Energy, shall conduct an exercise to test the modeling, simulation, and 
analysis capabilities and their utility for emergency response of the 
United States with respect to significant natural disasters or public 
health emergencies impacting critical infrastructure.
    (b) Planning and Preparation.--Each exercise under paragraph (1) 
shall be coordinated through NISAC and the National Laboratories.
    (c) Participants.--
            (1) Federal government participants.--The following shall 
        participate in each exercise under subsection (a):
                    (A) Relevant interagency partners, as determined by 
                the Secretary.
                    (B) Senior leader representatives from sector-
                specific agencies, as determined by the Secretary.
            (2) State and local governments.--The Secretary shall 
        invite representatives from State and local governments to 
        participate in the exercises under subsection (a) if the 
        Secretary determines such participation to be appropriate.
    (d) Elements.--Each exercise under subsection (a) shall include the 
following elements:
            (1) Testing the capability of NISAC to perform modeling, 
        simulation, and analysis to inform the significant natural 
        disaster and public health emergency response of the United 
        States with respect to impact on critical infrastructure, 
        including the outbreak of infectious diseases, extreme weather 
        events, or the overlapping combination of such outbreak or such 
        weather event.
            (2) Testing of the relevant policy, guidance, and doctrine.
            (3) Testing of the information-sharing needs and systems.
            (4) Testing the coordination between Federal, State, and 
        local governments.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date on 
        which each exercise under subsection (a) is conducted, the 
        Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a report on each such exercise.
            (2) Matters included.--The report required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include information relating to the following:
                    (A) A list of the entities participating in an 
                exercise required under subsection (a).
                    (B) An assessment of overall performance during 
                such an exercise.
                    (C) A description of lessons learned from such an 
                exercise, including--
                            (i) gaps and limitations that require 
                        improvement; and
                            (ii) recommendations with respect to 
                        planned changes to training.

SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS RELATING TO THE IMPACT OF NATURAL 
              DISASTERS OR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES WITH RESPECT TO 
              CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing 
the impact of natural disasters and public health emergencies with 
respect to critical infrastructure.
    (b) Matters Included.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
shall include information relating to the following:
            (1) An assessment of the most concerning threats to 
        critical infrastructure from natural disasters or public health 
        emergencies, including the severity and probability of a threat 
        to each critical infrastructure from each type of natural 
        disaster.
            (2) An assessment relating to short-term and long-term 
        damage that may result to each critical infrastructure from 
        each type of natural disaster or public health emergency.
            (3) A description of the modeling tools and human capacity 
        of NISAC to be utilized to inform emergency preparedness, and 
        any changes to such tools and capacity since the previous 
        report.
            (4) An assessment of modeling tools that may best inform 
        the Federal Government with respect to cascading effects on 
        infrastructure, transportation, public health, and the economy.
            (5) Recommendations of modeling, simulation, and training 
        opportunities that may require further investment and 
        maturation with respect to additional consultation and 
        analysis, including--
                    (A) DHS-CISA-NRMC and peer review;
                    (B) interagency consultation, as appropriate;
                    (C) cost-effectiveness; and
                    (D) consideration of the tools that can best inform 
                the United States government understanding of cascading 
                effects on infrastructure, transportation, the economy, 
                and public health.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Homeland Security, the 
                Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on 
                Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on 
                Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
                Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Energy and 
                Natural Resources, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
                and Transportation, and the Committee on Environment 
                and Public Works of the Senate.
            (2) CISA.--The term ``CISA'' means the Cybersecurity and 
        Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland 
        Security.
            (3) Critical infrastructure.-- The term ``critical 
        infrastructure'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        5195c(e) of title 42, United States Code.
            (4) DHS.--The term ``DHS'' means the Department of Homeland 
        Security.
            (5) National laboratories.--The term ``National 
        Laboratories'' means the United States Department of Energy 
        National Laboratories and Technology Centers.
            (6) NISAC.--The term ``NISAC'' means the National 
        Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center.
            (7) NRMC.--The term ``NRMC'' means the National Risk 
        Management Center of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
        Security Agency.
            (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.
            (9) Sector-specific agency.--The term ``sector-specific 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term ``Sector-Specific 
        Agency'' in section 2201 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
        (6 U.S.C. 651).
            (10) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 311 of title 5, United States Code.
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