Securing Useful and Responsive Giving in Emergencies (SURGE) Act

Bill: 109-hr-4564
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
Introduced: 2005-12-15 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Alabama
Auditing
Charitable contributions
Charities
Community development
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Cost accounting
Data banks
Disaster relief
Emergency communication systems
Finance and Financial Sector
Floods
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Hurricanes
Infrastructure
Inspectors general
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nonprofit organizations
Performance measurement
Planning-programming-budgeting
Pluralism (Social sciences)
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Standards
Tax-exempt organizations
Taxation
Volunteer workers

Summary:
action_date: 2005-12-15
text: 
Securing Useful and Responsive Giving in Emergencies (SURGE) Act - Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to report to specified congressional committees on the feasibility of establishing a publicly accessible disaster charities database of nongovernmental, private donor, private sector, and volunteer organizations that provide relief services following Incidents of National Significance and other disasters and emergencies, including organizations specializing in immediate relief and those specializing in longer-term community redevelopment.

Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the FEMA Director, after the Secretary of Homeland Security declares an Incident of National Significance, to submit to such congressional committees initial, interim, and final immediate relief estimates of the money needed for immediate relief for Incident victims, and the portion of that total that private charities and nonprofit organizations should be reasonably expected to provide.

Requires the Comptroller General to report to such congressional committees on the use by hurricane-relief charities of nongovernment funds donated for relief for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) assess the performance of the American National Red Cross after the hurricanes with respect to its DHS partnership and related responsibilities pursuant to Emergency Support Function 6 of the National Response Plan under the Homeland Security Act of 2002; and (2) report on its designation as the only nongovernmental organization with primary agency responsibility under such Emergency Support Function.

Directs the Secretary to establish a disaster call center network to facilitate responses to Incidents of National Significance, disasters, and emergencies.

Amends the federal charter of the American Red Cross with respect to its annual report to the Secretary of Defense, its purpose, and mandatory management staff, partnership, and business enterprise initiative diversity.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to amend the National Response Plan to include a similar diversity requirement.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
action_date: 2005-12-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2005-12-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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: 2005-12-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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: 2005-12-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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: 2005-12-15
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-12-15
text: Introduced in House