Title: Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North and Terrorism Emergency Readiness Act of 2019
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North and Terrorism Emergency Readiness Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and conduct a collective-response-to-terrorism exercise that includes managing cascading effects on critical infrastructure, such as an extreme cold-weather event caused by a polar vortex.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3669 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3669

 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a collective 
   response to a terrorism exercise that includes the management of 
 cascading effects on critical infrastructure during times of extreme 
                 cold weather, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2019

  Ms. Slotkin (for herself, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Ryan, Miss Rice of New 
 York, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Katko, Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Young) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                                Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a collective 
   response to a terrorism exercise that includes the management of 
 cascading effects on critical infrastructure during times of extreme 
                 cold weather, 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 ``Weatherizing Infrastructure in the 
North and Terrorism Emergency Readiness Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. EXERCISE ON TERRORIST ATTACK DURING EXTREME COLD.

    (a) In General.--In addition to, or as part of exercise programs 
currently carried out by the Department of Homeland Security, to 
enhance domestic preparedness for terrorism, promote the dissemination 
of homeland security information, and test the homeland security 
posture of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
acting through appropriate offices and components of the Department, 
shall develop and conduct a collective response to terrorism exercise 
that includes management of cascading effects on critical 
infrastructure (as such term is defined in section 1016(e) of Public 
Law 107-56 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))), such as an extreme cold weather event 
caused by a polar vortex.
    (b) Exercise Requirements.--The exercise required under subsection 
(a) shall include a scenario involving the following:
            (1) An extreme cold weather event, such as an event caused 
        by a polar vortex, with respect to access to critical services.
            (2) Any cascading effects on critical infrastructure.
            (3) How the effects of a successful terrorist attack 
        against critical infrastructure could be mitigated by emergency 
        managers, State officials, and appropriate private sector and 
        community stakeholders.
            (4) How the resilience of communities that could be 
        impacted by such an attack could be bolstered.
            (5) Coordination with appropriate Federal departments and 
        agencies, and State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies.
            (6) Coordination with appropriate private sector and 
        community stakeholders.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the completion of the 
exercise required under subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall, consistent with the protection of classified 
information, submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate an after-action report presenting 
the initial findings of such exercise, any immediate and longer-term 
plans for incorporating lessons learned into future operations of the 
Department of Homeland Security, and any proposed legislative changes 
informed by such exercise.
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