PREPARE Act

Bill: 108-hr-3158
Sponsor: Rep. Turner, Jim [D-TX-2]
Introduced: 2003-09-24 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Arson
Biological warfare
Boundaries
Bridges
Buildings
Chemical warfare
Classified defense information
Commerce
Computer networks
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cost accounting
Crime and Law Enforcement
Curricula
Department of Homeland Security
Disasters
EBB Terrorism
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic government information
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Emergency communication systems
Emergency medicine
Employee training
Environmental Protection
Equipment and supplies
Executive reorganization
Explosives
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Fire fighters
Government Operations and Politics
Government and business
Government paperwork
Government publications
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Health
Hospital personnel
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
International Affairs
Internet
Labor and Employment
Law enforcement officers
Local officials
Marine terminals
Medical personnel
Nuclear terrorism
Paramedical personnel
Performance measurement
Planning
Planning-programming-budgeting
Police
Police communication systems
Police training
Population
Public-private partnerships
Radio broadcasting
Radio spectrum allocation
Roads and highways
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Security clearances
Standards
State officials
Suicide
Telephone
Television broadcasting
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Weapons of mass destruction
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: 
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions entitled the Preparing America to Respond Effectively Act of 2003 (PREPARE Act), which direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Task Force on Standards for Terrorism Preparedness and authorize the Secretary to make terrorism preparedness and response grants to State governments.
 
 Designates the Office for Domestic Preparedness as being responsible for administering all terrorism preparedness and response grant programs of the Department of Homeland Security. 
 
Requires the Secretary to revise the Homeland Security Advisory System to include a process for activating the System on a regional or critical infrastructure sector basis.
 
Includes among executive branch responsibilities the making of grants to compensate States and local governments for additional personnel costs incurred as a result of elevated threat level designations.
 
Requires: (1) the President to specify the lead Federal agency for sharing terrorism threat information with State and local governments; and (2) the Secretary to make grants to State and local governments to provide the equipment and facilities necessary to handle and store classified information. Makes the Under Secretary for Science and Technology responsible for first responder equipment and training standards. 
 
Requires the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response to conduct studies regarding: (1) electromagnetic spectrum and frequency bands for emergency communications; and (2) the establishment of a nationwide emergency notification system.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) procure and deploy equipment to facilitate interoperability between emergency communications systems; (2) award grants for programs at public schools to instruct students in preparing for and responding to a man-made emergency or natural disaster; and (3) establish and maintain a clearinghouse of best practices and curricula for instructing students regarding emergency preparedness and response.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-11-20
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2003-10-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
action_date: 2003-10-14
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness and Response.
action_date: 2003-10-06
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
action_date: 2003-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2003-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
action_date: 2003-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2003-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
action_date: 2003-09-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-09-24
text: Introduced in House