Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007

Bill: 109-hr-5441
Sponsor: Rep. Rogers, Harold [R-KY-5]
Introduced: 2006-05-22 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Advice and consent of the Senate
Agriculture and Food
Agriculture in foreign trade
Air cargo
Air defenses
Airline passenger traffic
Airlines
Airports
Alabama
Alaska
Allegiance
Alternative energy sources
Animals
Apartment houses
Appropriations
Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces reserves
Arts, Culture, Religion
Auditing
Automation
Aviation safety
Biological warfare
Border patrols
Boundaries
Bridges
Building construction
Building materials
Buy American
Cabinet officers
Canada
Capital investments
Caribbean area
Chemical industries
Chemical warfare
Child abuse
Child labor
Citizenship
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Coast guard
Coastal zone
Colorado
Commerce
Competitive bidding
Computer matching
Computer security measures
Computer software
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Containerization
Cost accounting
Cost control
Counterfeiting
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Cultural centers
Customs administration
Data banks
Delaware
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security
Disabled
Disaster insurance
Disaster loans
Disaster relief
Discrimination against the disabled
Displaced persons
District of Columbia
Dredging
Drone aircraft
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
Drugs
Earthquakes
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency communication systems
Emergency housing
Emergency medicine
Energy
Energy efficiency
English language
Environmental Protection
Evacuation of civilians
Ex-offenders
Executive orders
Executive reorganization
Explosives
Families
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal aid to transportation
Federal employees
Federal installations
Federal law enforcement officers
Federal office buildings
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Fire fighters
Fire prevention
Firearms
Fissionable materials
Flood control
Flood damage prevention
Floods
Food relief
Food safety
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Forfeiture
Fraud
Fuel consumption
Government Operations and Politics
Government aircraft
Government contractors
Government lending
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Government publicity
Government statistics
Government vehicles
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Gulf of Mexico
Hazardous wastes
Health
Hours of labor
Housing and Community Development
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Hurricanes
Idaho
Identification devices
Identification of criminals
Illegal aliens
Immigrants
Immigration
Import restrictions
Imports
Indian law enforcement
Information technology
Informers
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Inspectors general
International Affairs
Internet
Interstate compacts
Kansas
Labor and Employment
Laboratories
Latin America
Law
Liability for environmental damages
Louisiana
Maps
Marine terminals
Maryland
Mass rapid transit
Methamphetamine
Mexico
Michigan
Military pensions
Missing children
Missing persons
Mississippi
Montana
Motor buses
Motorcycles
Municipal solid waste
Museums
Naturalization
Navigational aids
New Jersey
New York City
Nonprofit organizations
Nuclear terrorism
Oaths
Office of Personnel Management
Oil pollution
Oregon
Pacific area
Patrol ships
Pennsylvania
Performing arts
Pest control
Pets
Police training
Presidential appointments
Protection of animals
Public health
Railroad safety
Recruiting of employees
Rental housing
Reprogramming of appropriated funds
Rescission of appropriated funds
Rescue work
Research and development
Research and development facilities
Salaries
Science, Technology, Communications
Searches and seizures
Secret service
Security measures
Self-help devices for the disabled
Senior centers
Sex offenders
Shelters for the homeless
Shipbuilding
Social Welfare
Standards
Strategic planning
Subcontractors
Surplus government property
Survivors' benefits
Technical assistance
Technology assessment
Telephone
Terrorism
Texas
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation safety
Transportation workers
Travel
Trucking
Tunnels
Undercover operations
Urban affairs
Urban areas
Virginia
Washington State
Waste in government spending
Water Resources Development
Web sites
West Virginia
Wireless communication
Zoos

Summary:
action_date: 2006-05-22
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007, including for: (1) the Offices of the Secretary, the Under Secretary for Management, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Information Officer, the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, and the Inspector General; (2) the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology project; (3) customs and border protection; (4) immigration and customs enforcement, including for the Federal Protective Service; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); (6) the Coast Guard; (7) the Secret Service; (8) the Offices of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Chief Medical Officer, and National Capital Region Coordination; (9) grants and training, including firefighter assistance grants and emergency management performance grants; (10) the U.S. Fire Administration; (11) infrastructure protection and information security; (12) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); (13) citizenship and immigration services; (14) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; (15) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; and (16) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
 
Transfers to DHS the authority of the Office of Personnel Management to conduct personnel security and background investigations for specified DHS positions. 
 
 Prohibits the use of funds under this Act: (1) for deployment or implementation, on other than a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until specified requirements have been met; (2) to amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; or (3) to maintain the Secret Service as anything but a distinct entity within DHS.
 
Directs: (1) the Secretary of DHS to develop standards for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo; and (2) TSA to utilize existing checked baggage explosive detection equipment and screeners to screen cargo carried on passenger aircraft to the greatest extent practicable at each airport and to report air cargo inspection statistics quarterly.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) make specified revisions to DHS MD 11056; and (2) issue interim final regulations that establish requirements for chemical facilities that present the greatest security risk and that are not currently regulated for homeland security purposes.

action_date: 2006-06-06
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - 
Title I: Departmental Management and Operations
 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007 for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) and executive management; (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management; (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) analysis and operations; (6) the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; and (7) the Office of Inspector General.
 
 
Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT) project; (2) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for customs and border protection automated systems, air and marine interdiction, operations, maintenance, procurement, and construction; (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); (4) the Federal Protective Service, including for construction; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for aviation security, surface transportation security, transportation threat assessment and credentialing, transportation security support, and Federal Air Marshals; (6) the Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration, Coast Guard Reserve training, acquisition, construction, and improvements, alteration of bridges, research, development, test, and evaluation, and retired pay; and (7) the U.S. Secret Service, including for protection, administration, and training, investigations and field operations, the Special Event Fund, and acquisition, construction, and improvement of facilities.
 

Title III: Preparedness and Recovery
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the Office of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and the Office of National Capital Region Coordination; (2) the Office of Grants and Training, including for grants to state and local governments for terrorism prevention activities, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the U.S. Fire Administration, training, and infrastructure protection and information security; and (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for administrative and regional operations, readiness, mitigation, response, and recovery, public health programs, disaster relief, the disaster assistance direct loan program, the Flood Map Modernization Fund, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the National Flood Mitigation Fund, the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund, and an emergency food and shelter program.
 
States that the aggregate charges assessed during FY2007 for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program shall not be less than 100% of the necessary amounts anticipated by DHS. 
 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including for salaries and expenses, acquisition, construction, and improvements; (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, including for management and administration, science and technology research, development, acquisition, and operations; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. 
 

Title V: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 505) Deems funds made available by this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress during FY 2007 until the enactment of an Act authorizing such activities for FY2007. 
 
(Sec. 506) Directs the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process to continue the implementation of measuring and assessing the quality and effectiveness of federal law enforcement training programs, facilities, and instructors.
 
(Sec. 509) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule basic and/or advanced law enforcement training to ensure that all four of its training facilities are operated at highest capacity. 
 
(Sec. 513) Prohibits the use of funds for implementation, on other than on a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until the Secretary certifies, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports, that specified requirements (including requirements related to due process rights, the accuracy of search tools, the establishment of an internal oversight board, and safeguards against abuse) have been met. Prohibits: (1) during testing, using information gathered from passengers, foreign or domestic air carriers, or reservation systems to screen passengers or to delay or deny boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a government watch list; and (2) utilizing funds to develop algorithms assigning risk to passengers whose names are not on such lists or for data or a database obtained from or under the control of a non-federal entity.
 
(Sec. 514) Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; (2) process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants; and (3) maintain the Secret Service as anything but a distinct entity within DHS.
 
(Sec. 518) Directs: (1) the Secretary to develop standards and protocols for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo; and (2) TSA to utilize existing checked baggage explosive detection equipment and screeners to screen cargo carried on passenger aircraft to the greatest extent practicable at each airport and to report monthly to specified congressional committees on the amount of cargo carried on passenger aircraft that was screened.
 
(Sec. 520) Prohibits the use of any funds available for the transportation worker identification credential program to develop a personalized system that is decentralized or a card production capability that does not utilize an existing government card production facility.
 
(Sec. 521) Rescinds funds for the Fast Response Cutter.
 
(Sec. 525) Directs the Secretary to revise DHS MD 11056 to: (1) deem information that is three years old and not incorporated in a current, active transportation security directive or security plan to be releaseable unless the Secretary identifies a compelling reason why the information must remain sensitive security information (SSI); (2) incorporate examples of the individual categories of SSI in order to minimize and standardize judgment in SSI marking; and (3) deem a party adjudicated as needing access to be a DHS Covered Person for purposes of access to the SSI at issue in a case unless the TSA or DHS demonstrates a compelling reason why the specific individual presents a risk of harm to the nation.
 
(Sec. 526) Continues the DHS Working Capital Fund's operations during FY2007.
 
(Sec. 527) Rescinds specified unobligated balances of the Counterterrorism Fund. 
 
(Sec. 531) Requires the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to operate extramural and intramural research, development, demonstrations, testing, and evaluation programs to distribute funding through grants, cooperative agreements, other transactions, and contracts.
 
(Sec. 532) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act: (1) for CBP to prevent an individual not in the business of importing a prescription drug from importing such a drug that complies with Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provisions regarding adulterated, misbranded, and new drugs; or (2) in contravention of federal buildings performance and reporting requirements, minimum federal fleet requirements regarding the use of alternative fueled vehicles, or provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 on communication between government agencies regarding citizenship or immigration status.
 
(Sec. 541) Reduces amounts available for DHS management and operations and increases amounts for firefighter assistance grants.

action_date: 2006-06-29
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - 
Title I: Departmental Management and Operations
 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007 for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) and executive management; (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management; (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) analysis and operations; and (6) the Office of Inspector General.
 
 
Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT) project; (2) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for customs and border protection automated systems, technology modernization, air and marine interdiction, operations, maintenance, procurement, and construction; (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including for automated systems and construction; (4) the Federal Protective Service; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for aviation security, surface transportation security, transportation threat assessment and credentialing, transportation security support, and Federal Air Marshals; (6) the Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration, Coast Guard Reserve training, acquisition, construction, and improvements, alteration of bridges, research, development, test, and evaluation, and retired pay; and (7) the U.S. Secret Service, including for protection, administration, and training, investigations and field operations, and acquisition, construction, and improvement of facilities.
 

Title III: Preparedness and Recovery
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the Office of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and the Office of National Capital Region Coordination; (2) the Office for Domestic Preparedness, including for grants to state and local governments for terrorism prevention activities, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the U.S. Fire Administration, training, and infrastructure protection and information security; and (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for administrative and regional operations, readiness, mitigation, response, and recovery, public health programs, disaster relief, the disaster assistance direct loan program, the Flood Map Modernization Fund, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the National Flood Mitigation Fund, the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund, and an emergency food and shelter program.
 
States that the aggregate charges assessed during FY2007 for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program shall not be less than 100% of the necessary amounts anticipated by DHS. 
 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, including for salaries and expenses, acquisition, construction, and improvements; (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, including for management and administration, science and technology research, development, acquisition, and operations; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, including for management and administration, research, development, operations, and systems acquisition. 
 

Title V: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 504) Provides that none of the funds appropriated to DHS may be used to make payments to the DHS Working Capital Fund except for the activities and amounts allowed in the President's FY2007 budget, excluding sedan and shuttle service, transit subsidy, mail operations, parking, and competitive sourcing.
 
(Sec. 506) Deems funds made available by this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress during FY2007 until the enactment of an Act authorizing such activities for FY2007. 
 
(Sec. 507) Directs the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process to continue the implementation of measuring and assessing the quality and effectiveness of federal law enforcement training programs, facilities, and instructors.
 
(Sec. 510) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule basic and/or advanced law enforcement training to ensure that all four of its training facilities are operated at highest capacity. 
 
(Sec. 514) Prohibits the use of funds for implementation, on other than on a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until the Secretary certifies, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports, that specified requirements (including requirements related to due process rights, the accuracy of search tools, the establishment of an internal oversight board, and safeguards against abuse) have been met. Prohibits: (1) during testing, using information gathered from passengers, foreign or domestic air carriers, or reservation systems to screen passengers or to delay or deny boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a government watch list; and (2) utilizing funds to develop algorithms assigning risk to passengers whose names are not on such lists or for data or a database obtained from or under the control of a non-federal entity.
 
(Sec. 515) Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; (2) process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants; and (3) make Secret Service funds available for the protection of persons other than the Secretary and those granted protection under the federal criminal code.
 
(Sec. 518) Directs: (1) the Secretary to develop standards and protocols for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo, and research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft at the earliest date possible; and (2) TSA to report air cargo inspection statistics (within 15 days of the close of each quarter of the fiscal year) to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, by airport and air carrier, including reasons for noncompliance with requirements to triple the percentage of cargo inspected on passenger aircraft (within 45 days after the end of the quarter).
 
(Sec. 520) Prohibits the use of any funds available for the transportation worker identification credential program to develop a personalized system that is executed without fair and open competition for both the implementation and production of the program and identification cards. Requires TSA to certify to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees by December 1, 2006, that such competition has been achieved.
 
(Sec. 524) Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees on progress that DHS has made in implementing requirements involving information on current procedures regarding access to sensitive security information (SSI) by civil litigants, and the security risks and benefits of any proposed changes; and (2) revise DHS MD 11056 to provide that when a lawful request is made to publicly release a document containing information designated as SSI, the document shall be reviewed in a timely manner to determine whether any information contained in the document meets the criteria for continued SSI protection and to provide that all portions that no longer require SSI designation be released subject to applicable law.
 
(Sec. 526) Continues the DHS Working Capital Fund's operations during FY2007.
 
(Sec. 527) Rescinds specified unobligated balances of the Counterterrorism Fund. 
 
(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to consider the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission in Mississippi eligible under the FEMA Public Assistance Program for all costs incurred for dredging from navigation channel in Little Lake, Louisiana, sediment deposited as a result of Hurricane George in 1998.
 
(Sec. 532) Requires DHS, in approving standards for state and local emergency preparedness operational plans, to account for the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals before, during, and following a major disaster or emergency.
 
(Sec. 536) Prohibits the use of specified funds for expenditure for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding effective October 1, 2006, unless the Senate and House Appropriations Committees receive a reprogramming notification for FY2006 and a budget request and expenditure plan for FY2007 for the office.
 
(Sec. 538) Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require that the plan (developed by the Secretary to require documents sufficient to denote identity and citizenship for travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and by categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements have previously been waived under the Immigration and Nationality Act on the basis of reciprocity with respect to nationals of foreign contiguous territory or adjacent islands and residents thereof having a common nationality with such nationals) be implemented not later than the earlier of three months after the Secretary and the Secretary of State make the certification below or June 1, 2009.
 
Directs such Secretaries to jointly certify to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees that, prior to implementing this section: (1) the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) has certified that the card architecture meets the International Organization for Standardization ISO 14443 security standards, or justifies a deviation from such standard; (2) the technology to be used by the United States for the passport card and any subsequent change to that technology has been shared with the governments of Canada and Mexico; (3) an agreement has been reached with the U.S. Postal Service on the fee to be charged individuals for the passport card, and a detailed justification has been submitted to the Committees; (4) an alternative procedure has been developed for groups of children traveling across an international border under adult supervision with parental consent; (5) the necessary technological infrastructure to process the passport cards has been installed, and all employees at ports of entry have been properly trained in the use of the new technology; (6) the passport card has been made available for the purpose of international travel by U.S. citizens through land and sea ports of entry between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda; and (7) a single implementation date for sea and land borders has been established.
 
(Sec. 539) Authorizes the city of Cuero, Texas, to use funds received under a FEMA unmet needs grant until September 30, 2007.

action_date: 2006-07-13
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - 
Title I: Departmental Management and Operations
 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007 for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) and executive management; (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management; (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) analysis and operations; and (6) the Office of Inspector General.
 
Directs the Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on whether insurers under the Write-Your-Own program improperly attributed damages from Hurricane Katrina to flooding covered under the national flood insurance program rather than to windstorms covered by such insurers.
 
 
Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT) project; (2) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for hiring an additional 236 border patrol agents, customs and border protection automated systems, technology modernization, and air and marine interdiction; (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including for space for 1,700 additional detention beds and necessary operational and mission support positions, information technology, relocation costs, and training and for automated systems and construction; (4) the Federal Protective Service; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for aviation security, surface transportation security, transportation threat assessment and credentialing, transportation security support, and Federal Air Marshals; (6) the US Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration; and (7) the US Secret Service.
 
Directs TSA to provide passenger and baggage screeners and related resources at the New Castle Airport in Wilmington, Delaware, as long as commercial air service is provided there.
 

Title III: Preparedness and Recovery
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Office of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and the Office of National Capital Region Coordination. Prohibits the use of such funds for travel by a DHS officer or employee until the Under Secretary for Preparedness has implemented the recommendations in a specified Inspector General's report or submitted a report to specified congressional committees explaining why such recommendations have not been fully implemented.
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), including for grants to state and local governments for terrorism prevention activities, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the US Fire Administration, training, and infrastructure protection and information security. Directs the Secretary, by September 30, 2007, to distribute unallocated funds to assist specified entities, corporations, or foundations determined to be at high-risk or potential high-risk of a terrorist attack. States that the aggregate charges assessed during FY2007 for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program shall not be less than 100% of the necessary amounts anticipated by DHS. Directs the Secretary to submit a classified report describing the security vulnerabilities of all rail, transit, and highway bridges and tunnels connecting Northern New Jersey and New York City to specified congressional committees.
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for the disaster assistance direct loan program, the Flood Map Modernization Fund, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the National Flood Mitigation Fund, the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund, and an emergency food and shelter program.
 
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess and report to Congress on how the models used by the Louisiana family assistance call center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in assisting individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina in locating family members may be modified to assist individuals displaced in a major disaster.
 
Prohibits the use of funds available under the Robert T. Stafford Act Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to enter into contracts using procedures based upon the unusual and compelling urgency exception to competitive procedures requirements, unless: (1) the contract is for the procurement of only property and services necessary to address the immediate emergency and for only as long as necessary to put competitive procurement procedures in place; and (2) the Secretary notifies specified congressional committees within seven days after the contract is entered into.
 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) US Citizenship and Immigration Services; (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. 
 
Makes funds available for the construction of radiological laboratories at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory after a memorandum of understanding between DHS and the Department of Energy (DOE) has been entered into.
 

Title V: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 504) Provides that none of the funds appropriated to DHS may be used to make payments to the DHS Working Capital Fund except for the activities and amounts allowed in the President's FY2007 budget, excluding sedan and shuttle service, transit subsidy, mail operations, parking, and competitive sourcing.
 
(Sec. 506) Deems funds made available by this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress during FY2007 until the enactment of an Act authorizing such activities for FY2007. 
 
(Sec. 507) Directs the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process to continue the implementation of measuring and assessing the quality and effectiveness of federal law enforcement training programs.
 
(Sec. 510) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule law enforcement training to ensure that all four of its training facilities are operated at highest capacity. 
 
(Sec. 514) Prohibits the use of funds for implementation, on other than on a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until the Secretary certifies, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports, that specified requirements (including requirements related to due process rights, the accuracy of search tools, the establishment of an internal oversight board, and safeguards against abuse) have been met. Requires TSA, until the Program or its successor has been implemented, to provide airlines with technical or other assistance to better align their reservation and ticketing systems with terrorist databases to assist in alleviating travel delays and other problems associated with mistaken identification. Prohibits: (1) during testing, using information gathered from passengers, foreign or domestic air carriers, or reservation systems to screen passengers or to delay or deny boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a government watch list; and (2) utilizing funds to develop algorithms assigning risk to passengers whose names are not on such lists or for data or a database obtained from or under the control of a non-federal entity.
 
(Sec. 515) Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; (2) process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants; and (3) make Secret Service funds available for the protection of persons other than the Secretary and those granted protection under the federal criminal code.
 
(Sec. 518) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and protocols for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo; and (2) research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft at the earliest date possible.
 
(Sec. 519) Requires TSA to report air cargo inspection statistics at the close of each quarter of the fiscal year to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, including reasons for noncompliance with requirements to triple the percentage of cargo inspected on passenger aircraft.
 
(Sec. 520) Prohibits the use of any funds available for the transportation worker identification credential program to develop a personalized system that is executed without fair and open competition. Requires TSA to certify by December 1, 2006, that such competition has been achieved.
 
(Sec. 524) Requires the Secretary to revise DHS MD 11056 to provide: (1) that when a lawful request is made to publicly release a document containing information designated as sensitive security information (SSI), the document shall be reviewed in a timely manner to determine whether such information meets continued SSI protection criteria and all portions that no longer require SSI designation shall be released subject to applicable law; (2) that SSI that is four years old shall be subject to release upon request unless the Secretary identifies a rational basis why the information must remain SSI, the information is covered by a current SSI application guide, or the information is otherwise exempt from disclosure; and (3) common and extensive examples of the individual categories of SSI to minimize and standardize judgment by covered persons in the application of SSI marking. Requires the Secretary to report on DHS progress in implementing requirements involving information on current procedures regarding access to SSI by civil litigants and the security risks and benefits of any proposed changes.
 
(Sec. 526) Continues the DHS Working Capital Fund's operations during FY2007.
 
(Sec. 527) Rescinds specified unobligated balances of the Counterterrorism Fund. 
 
(Sec. 531) Directs the Secretary to consider the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission in Mississippi eligible under the FEMA Public Assistance Program for costs incurred for dredging sediment deposited as a result of Hurricane George in 1998 from the navigation channel in Little Lake, Louisiana.
 
(Sec. 532) Requires DHS, in approving standards for state and local emergency preparedness operational plans, to account for the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals before, during, and following a major disaster or emergency.
 
(Sec. 536) Prohibits the use of specified funds for expenditure for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding effective October 1, 2006, unless the Senate and House Appropriations Committees receive a reprogramming notification for FY2006 and a budget request and expenditure plan for FY2007 for the Office.
 
(Sec. 538) Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require implementation of the plan developed by the Secretary to require identity and citizenship documents for travel into the United States by US citizens and by categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements have previously been waived on the basis of reciprocity (for nationals of foreign contiguous territory or adjacent islands) not later than the earlier of: (1) three months after the Secretary and the Secretary of State make the following certification; or (2) June 1, 2009. Directs such Secretaries to jointly certify that: (1) the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) has certified that such passport card architecture meets the International Organization for Standardization ISO 14443 security standards or justifies a deviation from such standard; (2) the technology to be used for the card has been shared with the governments of Canada and Mexico; (3) an agreement has been reached with the US Postal Service on the fee to be charged individuals for the card; (4) an alternative procedure has been developed for groups of children traveling across an international border under adult supervision with parental consent; (5) the necessary technological infrastructure to process the cards has been installed and all employees at ports of entry have been properly trained in its use; (6) the card has been made available for affected international travel by US citizens; and (7) a single implementation date for sea and land borders has been established.
 
(Sec. 539) Authorizes the city of Cuero, Texas, to use funds received under a FEMA unmet needs grant until September 30, 2007.
 
(Sec. 540) Prohibits funds made available in this Act for CBP from being used to prevent an individual who is not in the business of importing a prescription drug from importing such a drug that complies with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act from Canada.
 
(Sec. 541) Directs the Secretary to submit a report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees by February 8, 2007, that: (1) identifies DHS activities to improve the targeting of agricultural inspections, the ability of CBP to adjust to new agricultural threats, and the in-service training for interception of prohibited plant and animal products and agricultural pests under the Animal and Plan Health Inspection Service's agriculture quarantine inspection monitoring program; and (2) describes how the Secretary will coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture and state and local governments in carrying out such activities.
 
(Sec. 542) Requires any limitation, directive, or earmarking contained in either the House or Senate report accompanying this bill to be included in the conference report (or joint statement) in order to be considered as having been approved by both Houses of Congress.
 
(Sec. 543) Requires any reports required in this Act and accompanying reports to be submitted to the Appropriations Committees and DHS's annual justifications of the President's budget request to be posted on DHS's public website not later than 48 hours after such submission unless information in the report compromises national security.
 
(Sec. 544) Makes funds available for training, exercises, technical assistance, and other programs for DHS's Chief Financial Officer to ensure compliance with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002.
 
(Sec. 545) Prohibits amounts made available to the Coast Guard under this Act from being obligated or expended for the continuation of operations at Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) stations nationwide, except in Alaska, the far northwest, and the far northeast continental United States.
 
(Sec. 546) Prohibits appropriated funds from being used to enforce or comply with any statutory limitation on the number of TSA employees or any administrative rule or regulation limiting the recruiting or hiring of personnel into permanent TSA positions, except to the extent that such limitation does not prevent the Secretary from recruiting and hiring such personnel as may be necessary to provide appropriate levels of aviation security in such a manner that the average aviation security-related delay experienced by airline passengers is reduced to 10 minutes.
 
(Sec. 547) Directs the Secretary to report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees an assessment of DHS actions necessary to achieve government communications interoperability.
 
(Sec. 548) Repeals a provision requiring the acquisition management system established by the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to apply to TSA acquisitions.
 
(Sec. 549) Directs each DHS agency to report to Congress on its data-mining activities.
 
(Sec. 550) Requires the Secretary to issue interim final regulations that establish homeland security requirements for chemical facilities that present the greatest security risk and that are not currently regulated under federal law for homeland security purposes.
 
(Sec. 551) Directs the Secretary to establish and conduct a pilot program at the Northern Border Air Wing bases of the Office of CBP Air and Marine, working expeditiously with the FAA Administrator to test unmanned aerial vehicles for border surveillance along the international marine and land border between Canada and the United States.
 
(Sec. 552) Requires DHS's Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report to Congress on the costs and need for establishing a sub-office in Greely, Colorado.
 
(Sec. 553) Directs the Secretary to submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees a report on the feasibility and advisability of locating existing Louisiana facilities and assets of the Coast Guard in the Federal City Project of New Orleans, Louisiana.
 
(Sec. 554) Authorizes the use of funds under this Act for the Coast Guard to acquire law enforcement patrol boats.
 
(Sec. 555) Directs the Commissioner of CBP to report to Congress on whether the methodologies and technologies it uses to screen for chemical, nuclear, biological, and radiological weapons in municipal solid waste are as effective as those used to detect those materials in other items of commerce entering the United States through commercial motor vehicle transport and, if not, on what action CBP will take to achieve the same level of effectiveness. Requires the Secretary to deny entry of any commercial motor vehicle carrying municipal solid waste until the Secretary certifies that equally effective methodologies and technologies are being used.
 
(Sec. 556) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit constructing or financing a tunnel or subterranean passage that crosses the international border between the United States and another country other than a lawfully authorized tunnel or passage known to the Secretary and subject to inspection. 
 
(Sec. 557) Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide personnel and equipment to improve national security by inspecting international shipments of municipal solid waste; and (2) levy a fee for the cost of such inspections.
 
(Sec. 558) Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and relevant agencies in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, to: (1) evaluate the technical and operational challenges with respect to interoperable communications facing authorities in preparing for the 2010 Olympics; and (2) develop an integrated plan for addressing such challenges. 
 
(Sec. 559) Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to alter or reduce operations within the Civil Engineering Program of the Coast Guard nationwide until specified congressional committees receive and approve a plan on Program changes, including any modifications of functions, personnel, or offices.
 
(Sec. 560) Reduces all amounts made available under this Act for travel and transportation and for printing and reproduction.
 
(Sec. 561) Prohibits funds from being used to take an action that would violate Executive Order 13149 (relating to greening the government through federal fleet and transportation efficiency).
 
(Sec. 562) Directs TSA to: (1) require each air carrier to submit plans on participating in the voluntary provision of emergency services program; (2) prepare a report that contains procedures and relevant contacts for participating individuals; and (3) make the report available to Congress, the emergency response agency of each state, and the relevant organizations representing participating individuals.
 
(Sec. 563) Requires the FEMA Director to report to the Senate Appropriations Committee outlining federal earthquake response plans for high-risk earthquake regions in the United States.
 
(Sec. 564) Requires the Secretary to establish revised procedures for expeditiously clearing individuals whose names have been mistakenly placed on a terrorist database list or who have names identical or similar to individuals on such a list.
 
(Sec. 565) Makes funds available for the Coast Guard's National Capital Region Air Defense mission.
 
(Sec. 566) Urges CBP to continue to focus on methamphetamine in its reporting and analysis of trade flows to prevent the spread of methamphetamine throughout the United States.
 
(Sec. 567) Directs the Secretary to submit to the Appropriations Committee a report addressing DHS compliance with recommendations set forth in the July 6, 2006, Inspector General's report entitled &quot;Progress in Developing the National Asset Database,&quot; which shall include the status of the prioritization of assets by DHS into high-value, medium-value, and low-value asset tiers for the issuance of grant funds.
 
(Sec. 568) Requires the Inspector General of DHS to: (1) determine, not later than 60 days after initiation of and upon performance of any contract relating to the Secure Border Initiative valued at more than $20 million, whether each action relating to such contract fully complies with applicable cost requirements, performance objectives, program milestones, inclusion of small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses, and time lines; (2) expeditiously submit information regarding improper conduct or wrongdoing to the Secretary or to another appropriate DHS official, who shall determine if the contractor should be suspended from further participation in the Initiative; and (3) report to the Secretary on cost overruns, significant delays in contract execution, lack of rigorous departmental contract management, insufficient departmental financial oversight, contract bundling that limits the ability of small businesses to compete, or other high risk business practices. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on the Inspector General's report and the steps taken or planned to address the problems identified.
 
(Sec. 569) Makes amounts appropriated for CBP for Air and Marine Interdiction, Operations, Maintenance, and Procurement available for the establishment of the final Northern border air wing site in Michigan.
 
(Sec. 570) Prohibits the use of funds for the seizure of a firearm based on the existence of a declaration or state of emergency.
 
(Sec. 571) Requires the Secretary to: (1) designate three foreign seaports through which containers pass or are transshipped to the United States to pilot an integrated scanning system that couples non-intrusive imaging equipment and radiation detection equipment, which may be provided by the Megaports Initiative of DOE; (2) consider three distinct ports with unique features and differing levels of trade volume; and (3) collaborate with the Secretary of Energy and cooperate with the private sector and host foreign government to implement the pilot program. Requires the Secretary to achieve a full-scale implementation of the pilot integrated screening system, which shall: (1) scan all containers destined for the United States that transit through the terminal; (2) electronically transmit the images and information to the container security initiative personnel in the host country and/or CBP personnel in the United States for evaluation and analysis; (3) resolve every radiation alarm according to established procedures; (4) utilize the information collected to enhance the Automated Targeting System (ATS) or other relevant programs; and (5) store the information for later retrieval and analysis.
 
Directs the Secretary to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes: (1) an evaluation of the lessons derived from the pilot program; (2) an analysis of the efficacy of the ATS in utilizing the images captured to examine high-risk containers; (3) an evaluation of software capable of automatically identifying potential anomalies in scanned containers; and (4) a plan and schedule to expand the integrated scanning system to other container security initiative ports. 
 
Requires an integrated scanning system to be implemented as soon as practicable to scan all containers entering the United States prior to arrival in the United States.
 
(Sec. 572) Directs the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center to serve as a source of national competence to address critical infrastructure protection and continuity through support for activities related to: (1) counterterrorism, threat assessment, and risk mitigation; and (2) an emergency, natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other catastrophic event. Requires: (1) such support to include modeling, simulation, and analysis of the systems comprising critical infrastructure in order to enhance critical infrastructure preparedness, protection, response, and recovery activities; and (2) each federal agency with critical infrastructure responsibilities under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 to establish a formal relationship between the elements of such agency and the Center to take full advantage of the Center's capabilities for real-time response to reported and projected catastrophic events.
 
(Sec. 573) Directs: (1) the Secretary to consult with the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and other qualified organizations in preparing recommendations for emergency responders to assist recovery operations and to protect the general public regarding radiological terrorism, threats, and events; and (2) the Comptroller General to report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees describing the impact on public safety and on the effectiveness of screening operations resulting from the modification of the list of items prohibited from being carried aboard a passenger aircraft as of December 1, 2005.
 

Title VI: Border Security Infrastructure Enhancements
 - (Sec. 601) Directs the Secretary: (1) by January 1, 2007, to adjust fees charged by DHS under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act to achieve not less than $350 million in additional receipts by September 30, 2007; and (2) to transfer specified amounts collected to CBP (for vehicle replacement, air asset replacement and air operations facilities upgrades, and construction), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (for vehicle replacement and automation modernization), and Citizenship and Immigration Services (including for business transformation and for fraud detection and national security initiatives).
 

Title VII: Supplemental Appropriations for Port Security Enhancements
 - Makes appropriations to enhance port security for FY2006 for: (1) CBP for salaries and expenses; (2) the Coast Guard for operating expenses, acquisition, construction, and improvements; and (3) ODP for state and local programs.
 

Title VIII: United States Emergency Management Authority
 - (Sec. 801) United States Emergency Management Authority Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to repeal provisions regarding the role of FEMA and provide for the establishment in DHS of a United States Emergency Management Authority, whose mission shall include: (1) leading the nation's efforts to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the risks of natural and man-made disasters, including catastrophic incidents; (2) partnering with state and local governments and emergency response providers, other federal agencies, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to build a national system of emergency management that can effectively and efficiently utilize the full measure of the nation's resources to respond to a catastrophic incident or other natural or man-made disaster; (3) developing a federal response capability that can act effectively, rapidly, and proactively to deliver assistance essential to saving lives, or protecting or preserving property or public health and safety, in a natural or man-made disaster; (4) fusing DHS's emergency response, preparedness, recovery, mitigation, and critical infrastructure assets into a new, integrated organization that can effectively confront the challenges of a natural or man-made disaster; and (5) promoting, planning for, and facilitating the security and resiliency of critical infrastructure and key resources.
 
Requires the Authority's Administrator: (1) to be appointed by the President, by and with the Senate's advice and consent; (2) to have not less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public or private sector, significant experience in crisis management or another relevant field, and a demonstrated ability to manage a substantial staff and budget; (3) report to the Secretary, without being required to report through any other DHS official; and (4) to be the principal emergency preparedness and response advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary.
 
 Lists federal leadership responsibilities necessary to prepare for and respond to a disaster.
 
Requires the Administrator to develop a National Emergency Management System capable of responding to catastrophic incidents. Directs the Administrator to: (1) submit to Congress annually an estimate of the resources needed for developing capabilities necessary to respond to a catastrophic incident; and (2) implement an all-hazards-plus strategy that places priority on building those common capabilities necessary to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the risks of terrorist attacks and natural disasters, while also building the unique capabilities necessary for specific types of incidents that pose the greatest risk to the nation.
 
Transfers to the Authority, as constituted on June 1, 2006: (1) FEMA (with an exception regarding the National Disaster Medical System); and (2) the Directorate of Preparedness. Requires the Authority to be maintained as a distinct entity within DHS. Prohibits the Secretary from substantially or significantly reducing the authorities, responsibilities, or functions of the Authority or its capability to perform such responsibilities after this Act's enactment.
 
Establishes within the Authority a Director for Preparedness and a Director for Response and Recovery, to be appointed by the President, by and with the Senate's advice and consent, and to report to the Administrator. Requires a Director to have: (1) not less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public or private sector and significant experience in crisis management or another relevant field; and (2) a demonstrated ability to manage a substantial staff and budget.
 
Directs the Administrator to establish 10 Regional Offices. Allows the Administrator to designate the Office for National Capital Region Coordination as a Regional Office. Requires each Regional Office to be headed by a Regional Administrator for Preparedness and Response and by an individual in the Senior Executive Service qualified to act as a senior federal coordinating officer to provide strategic oversight of incident management when needed.
 
Requires the Regional Administrator to work in partnership with state and local governments, emergency managers, emergency response providers, medical providers, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, multijurisdictional councils of governments, and regional planning commissions and organizations in the area served to carry out specified responsibilities, including: (1) ensuring effective, coordinated, and integrated regional preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery activities and programs for natural and man-made disasters; (2) establishing and overseeing strike teams, which shall serve as the focal point of the federal government's initial response efforts for a disaster, and otherwise building federal capabilities to respond to a disaster within that region; (3) working with the private sector to assess and address weaknesses in critical infrastructure protection in the region; and (4) coordinating activities with other federal agencies.
 
Directs the Administrator to establish Area Offices for the Pacific and for the Caribbean as components in the appropriate Regional Offices.
 
Requires each Regional Administrator, in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, to establish multi-agency strike teams that consist of specified personnel, including a designated federal coordinating officer, personnel trained in incident management, and individuals from agencies with primary responsibility for each of the NRP's emergency support functions. Authorizes appropriations.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish the National Advisory Council on Emergency Preparedness and Response to advise the Administrator.
 
Establishes within the Authority a National Incident Management System Integration Center. Directs the Administrator, through the Center, to ensure ongoing management and maintenance of the National Incident Management System, the NRP, any other document or tool in support of any homeland security presidential directive relating to incident management and response.
 
Establishes within DHS a National Operations Center to: (1) coordinate the national response to any natural or man-made disaster; (2) provide situational awareness and a common operating picture for the entire federal government, and for state and local governments for such an event; (3) collect and analyze information to help deter, detect, and prevent terrorist acts; (4) disseminate terrorism and disaster-related information to governments; and (5) ensure that critical terrorism and disaster-related information reaches government decision-makers. Requires the Center to carry out the responsibilities of the Homeland Security Operations Center, the National Response Coordination Center, and the Interagency Incident Management Group, as constituted on September 1, 2005.
 
Establishes within the Authority a Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who shall: (1) be appointed by the President, by and with the Senate's advice and consent; (2) report directly to the Administrator; and (3) possess a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of medicine and public health. Places upon the CMO primary responsibility within DHS for medical issues related to natural and man-made disasters, including serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary and the Administrator on medical and public health issues. Directs the CMO to establish a program to study the health and safety of emergency managers and emergency response providers following Incidents of National Significance declared by the Secretary under the NRP.
 
Directs to Administrator to promote public and community preparedness.
 
Establishes within DHS a System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders Program to provide impartial evaluations of emergency response equipment and systems.
 
Establishes within the Authority a National Search and Rescue Response System that provides a national network of standardized search and rescue resources to assist state and local governments in responding to any natural or man-made disaster. Directs the Administrator to select eligible search and rescue teams sponsored by state and local government entities to participate as task forces in the System.
 
Establishes within the Authority a Metropolitan Medical Response System. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Grants and Planning, in coordination with the CMO, to administer grants to develop, maintain, and enhance medical preparedness systems that are capable of responding effectively to a public health crisis or mass-casualty event caused by a natural or man-made disaster. Directs the System to make grants to local governments to enhance specified activities, including medical surge capacity, emergency communications capabilities, regional collaboration, and fatality management.
 
Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to make grants for administering and improving the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (the Compact). Authorizes appropriations.
 
Establishes within DHS an Office for the Prevention of Terrorism, headed by a Director, who shall: (1) report directly to the Secretary; and (2) have an appropriate background with experience in law enforcement, intelligence, or other anti-terrorist functions. Directs the Secretary to assign to the Office permanent staff and other appropriate personnel detailed from other DHS components. Requires the Director: (1) to coordinate policy and operations between DHS and state and local agencies relating to preventing terrorist acts; and (2) in coordination with the Director for Response, to establish a pilot project to determine the efficacy and feasibility of establishing law enforcement deployment teams.
 
Establishes within DHS an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Telecommunications. Requires the Administrator of the US Fire Administration to have a rank equivalent to an assistant secretary of DHS.
 
Requires: (1) the Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with the Compact and other organizations to establish nationwide standards for credentialing all personnel who are likely to respond to an emergency or major disaster; (2) the Secretary and the Administrator to ensure that all such DHS personnel are credentialed; (3) the Administrator to provide the standards developed to all federal agencies that have responsibilities under the NRP; (4) each such agency to ensure that all such employees or volunteers are credentialed and to submit their names to the Secretary; and (5) the Administrator to provide leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to each agency to facilitate the credentialing process.
 
Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish and maintain a documentation and database system of federal emergency response providers and other federal personnel credentialed to respond to an emergency or major disaster; and (2) provide detailed guidance, assistance, expertise, and assistance to state and local governments in credentialing emergency response providers and typing of assets commonly or likely to be used in responding to an emergency or major disaster.
 
Directs the Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with the Compact and other organizations to establish nationwide standards for typing of resources and assets commonly or likely to be used in responding to an emergency or major disaster. Requires the Secretary to ensure that all such DHS resources and assets are typed. Requires: (1) the Administrator to provide the standards developed to all federal agencies that have responsibilities under the NRP; (2) each agency to ensure that its resources and assets are typed and to submit a list of all typed resources and assets to the Secretary; and (3) the Administrator to provide leadership, guidance, and technical assistance to an agency to facilitate the typing process.
 
Requires the Administrator: (1) to establish and maintain a documentation and database system of such federal resources and assets; and (2) in collaboration with the Compact, to provide detailed written guidance, assistance, and expertise to state and local governments to facilitate the typing of their resources and assets.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to the states that are parties to the Compact to develop and maintain a database of their typed resources and assets. Requires the Administrator to report to specified committees annually on implementation.
 
(Sec. 804) Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 805) Makes this title effective January 1, 2007.
 

Title IX: Border Law Enforcement Relief Act 
 - (Sec. 901) Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2006 - Authorizes the Secretary to award grants during FY2007-FY2011 to a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency located in a county within 100 miles of a US border with Canada or Mexico, or in a county beyond 100 miles that has been certified by the Secretary as a high impact area, to provide assistance in addressing: (1) criminal activity that occurs by virtue of proximity to the border; and (2) the impact of any lack of security along that border. Authorizes appropriations.

action_date: 2006-09-28
text: 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - 
Title I: Departmental Management and Operations
 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007 for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) and executive management; (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management; (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) analysis and operations; (6) the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; and (7) the Office of Inspector General.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified amounts of the funds provided for the Office of the Secretary and executive management until the Secretary submits to Congress: (1) a comprehensive port, container, and cargo security strategic plan that requires screening all inbound cargo, doubles the percentage currently inspected, sets minimum standards for securing it, and includes the FY2007 performance requirements specified in the joint explanatory statement accompanying this Act; and (2) the Secure Border Initiative multiyear strategic plan (by no later than December 1, 2006).
 
Directs the Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on whether insurers under the Write-Your-Own program improperly attributed damages from Hurricane Katrina to flooding covered under the national flood insurance program rather than to windstorms covered by such insurers.
 
 
Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT) project; (2) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for hiring additional border patrol agents, customs and border protection automated systems, border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology, and air and marine interdiction; (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including for activities to enforce laws against forced child labor, and for automated systems and construction; (4) the Federal Protective Service; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for aviation security, surface transportation security, transportation threat assessment and credentialing, transportation security support, and Federal Air Marshals; (6) the U.S. Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration; and (7) the U.S. Secret Service.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified funds for the U.S.-VISIT project until Congress receives and approves a plan for expenditure that includes: (1) a comprehensive strategic plan for the project; and (2) a complete schedule for the full implementation of a biometric exit program.
 
Directs TSA to submit to Congress a detailed air cargo security action plan by December 1, 2006, addressing each of the recommendations contained in the 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on domestic air cargo security. Prohibits using funds in this Act to recruit or hire TSA personnel in excess of a staffing level of 45,000 full-time equivalent screeners.
 

Title III: Preparedness and Recovery
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: the immediate Office of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and the Office of National Capital Region Coordination. Requires the governors of West Virginia and Pennsylvania to be included in efforts to integrate the activities of federal, state, and local governments for purposes of planning, coordination, and execution of mass evacuation during a disaster in the National Capital Region. 
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Office of Grants and Training (OGT), including for grants to state and local governments for terrorism prevention activities, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the U.S. Fire Administration, training, and infrastructure protection and information security. Directs the Secretary, by September 30, 2007, to distribute unallocated funds made available for assistance to specified tax-exempt entities, or corporations or foundations organized and operated exclusively for specified purposes (including religious, charitable, scientific, educational, or athletic purposes), determined to be at high-risk of international terrorist attack. States that the aggregate charges assessed during FY2007 for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program shall not be less than 100% of the necessary amounts anticipated by DHS. 
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for the disaster assistance direct loan program, the Flood Map Modernization Fund, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the National Flood Mitigation Fund, the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund, and an emergency food and shelter program.
 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS); (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified sums: (1) until Congress approves a strategic transformation plan for CIS that has been approved by the Secretary and reviewed by GAO; (2) until Congress approves a report prepared by the Under Secretary of Science and Technology that describes progress to address financial management deficiencies, improve its management controls, and implement performance measures and evaluations; and (3) for full scale procurement of Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Monitors until the Secretary has certified that a significant increase in operational effectiveness will be achieved.
 

Title V: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 504) Provides that none of the funds appropriated to DHS may be used to make payments to the DHS Working Capital Fund except for the activities and amounts allowed in the President's FY2007 budget, excluding sedan and shuttle service, transit subsidy, mail operations, parking, and competitive sourcing.
 
(Sec. 506) Deems funds made available by this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress during FY2007 until the enactment of an Act authorizing such activities for FY2007. 
 
(Sec. 507) Directs the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process to continue the implementation of measuring and assessing the quality and effectiveness of federal law enforcement training programs.
 
(Sec. 508) Prohibits funds from being used to make a grant allocation, discretionary grant, or contract award, to issue a letter of intent totaling in excess of $1 million, or to announce the intention to make such an award unless the Secretary notifies Congress at least three full business days in advance. Requires OGT to brief Congress five full business days in advance of announcing the intention of making an award of formula-based grants, law enforcement terrorism prevention grants, or high-threat, high-density urban areas grants.
 
(Sec. 510) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule law enforcement training to ensure that all four of its training facilities are operated at highest capacity. 
 
(Sec. 514) Prohibits the use of funds for implementation, on other than on a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until the Secretary certifies, and GAO reports, that specified requirements (including requirements related to due process rights, the accuracy of search tools, the establishment of an internal oversight board, and safeguards against abuse) have been met. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a detailed plan describing the dates for achieving key milestones and the methodology to be followed to support the Secretary's certification. Prohibits: (1) during testing, using information gathered from passengers, air carriers, or reservation systems to screen passengers or restrict boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a watch list; and (2) utilizing funds to develop algorithms assigning risk to passengers whose names are not on such lists or for data or a database obtained from or under the control of a non-federal entity.
 
(Sec. 515) Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; (2) process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants; and (3) make Secret Service funds available for the protection of persons other than the Secretary. Provides that, beginning in FY2008, no Secret Service appropriations shall be made available for the protection of a person other than the Secretary and persons granted protection under provisions of the federal criminal code. Authorizes the Director of the Secret Service to enter into an agreement to perform such protection on a fully reimbursable basis for protectees not so designated. 
 
(Sec. 518) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and protocols for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo; and (2) research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft at the earliest date possible. 
 
(Sec. 519) Requires TSA to report air cargo inspection statistics to Congress at the close of each quarter, including reasons for noncompliance with requirements to triple the percentage of cargo inspected on passenger aircraft.
 
(Sec. 525) Requires the Secretary to revise DHS MD 11056 to provide: (1) requirements for review of requests to release documents containing information designated as sensitive security information (SSI); and (2) common and extensive examples of the individual categories of SSI to minimize and standardize judgment by covered persons in the application of SSI marking.
 
 Provides for access to SSI by parties in civil proceedings in U.S. district courts where the party demonstrates a substantial need of such SSI in the preparation of the party's case and that the party is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the information by other means, provided that the overseeing judge enters an order that protects the SSI from unauthorized or unnecessary disclosure and specifies the terms and conditions of access. Authorizes a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for SSI violations.
 
(Sec. 526) Continues the DHS Working Capital Fund's operations during FY2007.
 
(Sec. 527) Rescinds specified unobligated balances of the Counterterrorism Fund. 
 
(Sec. 531) Requires the Chief Financial Officer of DHS to submit to Congress a monthly budget and staffing report that includes total obligations and on-board versus funded full-time equivalent staffing levels.
 
(Sec. 532) Sets forth requirements regarding the use of funds (including the proceeds of undercover investigative operations) by the Secret Service for such operations, including certification, deposit, reporting, and audit requirements.
 
(Sec. 533) Requires the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to operate extramural and intramural research, development, demonstrations, testing, and evaluation programs so as to distribute funding through grants, cooperative agreements, other transactions, and contracts.
 
(Sec. 534) Directs the Secretary to consider the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission in Mississippi eligible under the FEMA Public Assistance Program for costs incurred for dredging sediment deposited as a result of Hurricane George in 1998 from the navigation channel in Little Lake, Louisiana.
 
(Sec. 535) Prohibits the use of CBP funds to prevent an individual not in the drug importation business from importing from Canada a personal use quantity (not exceeding a 90-day supply) of a prescription drug that complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and that is not a controlled substance or a biological product.
 
(Sec. 536) Requires DHS, in approving standards for state and local emergency preparedness operational plans, to account for the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals.
 
(Sec. 546) Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require implementation of the plan developed by the Secretary to require identity and citizenship documents for travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and by categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements have previously been waived on the basis of reciprocity (for nationals of foreign contiguous territory or adjacent islands) not later than the earlier of June 1, 2009, or three months after the Secretary and the Secretary of State makes certifications concerning: (1) security standards for a passport card architecture; (2) sharing of technology with the governments of Canada and Mexico; (3) U.S. Postal Service fees for the card; (4) an alternative procedure for groups of children traveling across an international border under adult supervision with parental consent; (5) the technological infrastructure and training necessary to process the cards; (6) card availability; and (7) establishment of a single implementation date for sea and land borders.
 
(Sec. 550) Requires the Secretary to issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for the security of chemical facilities and requiring vulnerability assessments and the development and implementation of site security plans for chemical facilities that meet specified requirements. Sets civil penalties for violations. Directs the Secretary to audit and inspect facilities to determine compliance. Permits the Secretary to issue an order for a facility not in compliance to cease operation until the owner or operator complies with this section.
 
(Sec. 551) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit constructing or financing the construction of a tunnel or subterranean passage that crosses the international border between the United States and another country other than a lawfully authorized tunnel or passage known to the Secretary and subject to ICE inspection. 
 
Directs: (1) the court, in imposing sentence on a person convicted of a violation of, or conspiracy to violate, such prohibition, to order that the person forfeit to the United States specified property used in the commission of the offense, and any property that constitutes or is derived from or traceable to the proceeds obtained from commission of the offense, or used to facilitate, or intended to be used to facilitate, the commission of the offense; and (2) the U.S. Sentencing Commission to take specified steps, including ensuring that the sentencing guidelines reflect the serious nature of the offense, provide adequate base offense levels for such offense, and account for any aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
 
(Sec. 552) Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to alter or reduce operations within the Civil Engineering Program of the Coast Guard nationwide until specified congressional committees receive and approve a plan on Program changes, including any modifications of functions, personnel, or offices.
 
(Sec. 553) Prohibits funds from being used to take an action that would violate Executive Order 13149 (relating to greening the government through federal fleet and transportation efficiency).
 
(Sec. 554) Directs TSA to: (1) require each air carrier to submit plans on participating in the voluntary provision of emergency services program; (2) prepare a report that contains procedures and relevant contacts for participating individuals; and (3) make the report available to Congress, the emergency response agency of each state, and the relevant organizations representing participating individuals.
 
(Sec. 555) Requires the FEMA Director to report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees outlining federal earthquake response plans for high-risk earthquake regions in the United States.
 
(Sec. 556) Requires the Secretary to establish revised procedures for expeditiously clearing individuals whose names have been mistakenly placed on a terrorist database list or who have names identical or similar to individuals on such a list.
 
(Sec. 557) Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to prohibit any U.S. officer or employee, or person operating under color of federal law, under control of a federal official, or providing services to such person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, from: (1) seizing any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under federal or state law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation; (2) requiring registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by federal or state law; (3) prohibiting possession of any firearm where such possession is not otherwise prohibited; or (4) prohibiting the carrying of a firearm by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms, solely because such person is operating under the control of a federal agency in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency. Authorizes any individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to seek relief by bringing an action for redress and by bringing a civil action in U.S. district court for return of a confiscated firearm.
 
(Sec. 558) Requires the Secretary to: (1) designate three foreign seaports through which containers pass or are transshipped to the United States to pilot an integrated scanning system that couples non-intrusive imaging equipment and radiation detection equipment, which may be provided by the Megaports Initiative of the Department of Energy (DOE); (2) consider three distinct ports with unique features and differing levels of trade volume; and (3) collaborate with the Secretary of Energy and cooperate with the private sector and host foreign governments to implement the pilot program.
 
 Requires the Secretary, within one year, to achieve a full-scale implementation of the screening system, which shall: (1) scan all containers destined for the United States that transit through the terminal; (2) electronically transmit the images and information to the container security initiative personnel in the host country and/or CBP personnel in the United States for evaluation and analysis; (3) resolve every radiation alarm according to established procedures; (4) utilize the information collected to enhance the Automated Targeting System (ATS) or other relevant programs; and (5) store the information for later retrieval and analysis.
 
 Directs the Secretary to: (1) determine whether such system has a sufficiently low false alarm rate, can be operated at ports overseas and integrated with existing systems, does not significantly impact trade capacity and flow of cargo, and provides an automated notification of questionable or high-risk cargo as a trigger for further inspection; (2) report on the pilot program, the efficacy of the ATS in utilizing the images captured to examine high-risk containers, the software capable of automatically identifying potential anomalies in scanned containers, and expanding the integrated scanning system to other container security initiative ports; and (3) seek to secure foreign government cooperation to initiate use of such technology at foreign ports to scan all cargo bound for the United States as quickly as possible.
 

Title VI: National Emergency Management 
 - (Sec. 601) Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 - 
Subtitle A: Federal Emergency Management Agency
 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (the Act) to keep FEMA within DHS and to provide that FEMA's primary mission is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.
 
Requires the Administrator of FEMA to: (1) be appointed by the President from among individuals who have a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security and not less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public or private sector; and (2) report to the Secretary without being required to report through any other DHS official. Designates the Administrator as the principal advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary for all matters relating to emergency management. Authorizes the President to designate the Administrator to serve as a member of the Cabinet in the event of disasters.
 
Directs the Administrator to provide federal leadership necessary to prepare for and respond to a disaster, including by: (1) helping to ensure the acquisition of operable and interoperable communications capabilities; (2) carrying out FEMA's mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; (3) preparing and implementing federal government plans for continuity of operations; (4) maintaining and operating the National Response Coordination Center or its successor; and (5) assisting the President in carrying out the functions under the national preparedness goal and system.
 
Transfers to FEMA all functions of the Directorate of Preparedness, as constituted on June 1, 2006, except for the Office of Infrastructure Protection, the National Communications System, the National Cybersecurity Division, and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.
 
 Directs that FEMA be maintained as a distinct entity within DHS. Prohibits the Secretary from reducing its authorities, responsibilities, functions, or capabilities, except as specifically provided in subsequent Acts. Prohibits certain transfers of FEMA assets, functions, or mission.
 
Requires: (1) the Administrator to establish 10 regional offices and area offices for the Pacific, for the Caribbean, and in Alaska; (2) each Regional Administrator to establish multi-agency strike teams to respond to disasters, including catastrophic incidents; and (3) the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Council to ensure coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation for disasters.
 
Establishes within FEMA a National Integration Center, a National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center, a National Operations Center, and a Chief Medical Officer. 
 
Directs the Secretary: (1) acting through the Administrator, to ensure that the National Response Plan provides for a clear chain of command to lead and coordinate the federal response to any disaster; and (2) the Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the administrators of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, state, local, and tribal governments, and organizations that represent emergency response providers to collaborate on developing standards for deployment capabilities.
 
Sets forth provisions regarding evacuation plans and exercises. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Disability Coordinator.
 

Subtitle B: Personnel Provisions
 - 
Chapter 1: Federal Emergency Management Agency Personnel
 - (Sec. 621) Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a strategic human capital plan, including a plan of action to address gaps in critical skills and competencies; and (2) publish information on career paths for FEMA personnel. Authorizes the Administrator to pay bonuses to recruit difficult to fill positions and to retain certain unusually highly or uniquely qualified individuals. Directs the Administrator to report on a quarterly basis on vacancies in employee positions. 
 
(Sec. 622) Directs the Secretary to establish the Homeland Security Rotation Program for DHS employees to expand DHS's knowledge base and build professional relationships and contacts.
 
(Sec. 623) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish a graduate-level Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region to provide educational opportunities to senior federal officials and selected state and local officials with homeland security and emergency management responsibilities.
 
(Sec. 624) Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress a plan to establish and implement a Surge Capacity Force for deployment of individuals to respond to disasters, including catastrophic incidents.
 

Chapter 2: Emergency Management Capabilities
 - (Sec. 631) Amends the Stafford Act to provide for the submission of a state catastrophic incident annex.
 
(Sec. 632) Directs the Administrator to provide evacuation preparedness technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments.
 
(Sec. 633) Requires the President, acting through the FEMA Director, to establish at least three national response teams, sufficient regional response teams, and other response teams as necessary to meet the federal government's incident management responsibilities.
 
(Sec. 634) Establishes within FEMA the Urban Search and Rescue Response System. Reestablishes the Metropolitan Medical Response Program. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 636) Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop an efficient, transparent, and flexible logistics system for procurement and delivery of goods and services necessary for an effective and timely response to disasters; and (2) establish a prepositioned equipment program to preposition standardized emergency equipment in at least 11 locations to sustain and replenish critical assets used by state, local, and tribal governments in response to disasters.
 
(Sec. 638) Directs the Administrator to establish Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recovery offices in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas. Directs the Administrator to identify performance measures and provide incentives for the timely closeout of specified public assistance projects.
 
(Sec. 639) Directs the Administrator to enter into agreements with organizations to provide funds to emergency response providers to provide education and training in life supporting first aid to children.
 
(Sec. 640) Directs the Administrator to update and improve FEMA's information technology systems.
 
(Sec. 640a) Authorizes the Administrator, in the event of circumstances requiring an evacuation, sheltering, or mass relocation, to disclose information in any FEMA individual assistance database to law enforcement to identify illegal conduct or to address public safety or security issues, including compliance with sex offender notification laws.
 

Subtitle C: Comprehensive Preparedness System - Chapter 1: National Preparedness System - 
(Sec. 642) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to: (1) complete and update a national preparedness goal that defines the target level of preparedness to ensure the nation's ability to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disasters; and (2) develop a national preparedness system to meet that goal. Lists components of the system, including target capabilities, preparedness priorities, and equipment and training standards. 
 
(Sec. 645) Authorizes the Administrator to develop national planning scenarios to reflect the relative risk requirements presented by all hazards to provide the foundation for the flexible and adaptive development of target capabilities and the identification of target capability levels to meet the national preparedness goal.
 
(Sec. 646) Directs the Administrator to: (1) complete and update guidelines to define risk-based target capabilities for government preparedness that will enable the nation to prevent and respond to all hazards; (2) support the promulgation and updating of national voluntary consensus standards for equipment; (3) carry out a national training program to implement, and a national exercise program to test and evaluate, the national preparedness goal, the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies; (4) establish a comprehensive system to assess the nation's prevention capabilities and overall preparedness; (5) establish a remedial action management program; (6) accelerate the completion of the inventory of federal response capabilities; and (7) report annually on the nation's level of preparedness for all hazards, including annual estimates of FEMA and other federal agency resources needed for and devoted specifically to developing the government capabilities necessary to respond to a catastrophic incident. Requires states receiving federal preparedness assistance to report to the Administrator on the state's level of preparedness.
 
(Sec. 653) Directs the President to ensure that each federal agency with coordinating, primary, or supporting responsibilities under the National Response Plan: (1) has the operational capability to meet the national preparedness goal; (2) complies with NIMS; (3) develops, trains, and exercises rosters of response personnel; and (4) develops operational plans and capabilities to ensure a coordinated federal response to disasters in support of the National Response Plan. Requires the President to certify agency compliance annually.
 
(Sec. 654) Directs the Administrator to use existing preparedness documents, planning tools, and guidelines in establishing the national preparedness goal and system.
 

Chapter 2: Additional Preparedness
 - (Sec. 661) Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to administer the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
 
(Sec. 662) Authorizes appropriations for the Emergency Management Performance Grants Program for FY2008.
 
(Sec. 663) Transfers the Noble Training Center to the Center for Domestic Preparedness.
 
(Sec. 664) Directs the President to establish a national exercise simulation center that uses: (1) a mix of live, virtual, and constructive simulations to meet specified goals, including preparing elected officials, emergency managers, emergency response providers, and emergency support providers to operate cohesively; and (2) modeling and simulation for training, exercises, and command and control functions at the operational level.
 

Subtitle D: Emergency Communications 
- (Sec. 671) 21st Century Emergency Communications Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS an Office of Emergency Communications, to be headed by the Director for Emergency Communications. 
 
Includes among the Director's responsibilities: (1) assisting the Secretary of DHS in developing and implementing the program to enhance public safety interoperable communications at all levels of government; (2) administering DHS authorities for the SAFECOM Program, the Integrated Wireless Network program, and the Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program; (3) establishing requirements for interoperable emergency communications capabilities for all public safety radio and data communications systems and equipment purchased using DHS assistance; and (4) coordinating with the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility and with the FEMA Administrator.
 
Directs the Secretary, through the Director, to: (1) develop and update a National Emergency Communications Plan to provide recommendations on accelerating the deployment of interoperable emergency communications; (2) assess the range of emergency communications capabilities needed; and (3) report biennially on DHS progress in achieving stated goals; and (4) ensure that grant guidelines for the use of homeland security assistance administered by DHS relating to interoperable emergency communications are coordinated and consistent with the goals and recommendations in the National Emergency Communications Report.
 
Requires the Secretary to support the development of national voluntary consensus standards for interoperable emergency communications. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Grants and Planning, to prohibit any state, local, or tribal government from using DHS assistance for emergency communications capabilities if such government has not met specified requirements, including submission of a Statewide Interoperable Communications Plan, and if such national standards have not been developed and promulgated within three years.
 
Establishes: (1) in each regional office a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group; and (2) the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center to serve as the focal point for interagency efforts and as a clearinghouse with respect to all relevant intergovernmental information to promote interoperable emergency communications and the ability of emergency response providers and government officials to communicate in disasters. Requires the Center to submit to Congress annual strategic assessments.
 
Directs the Secretary to provide technical guidance, training, and other assistance to support the rapid establishment of consistent, secure, and effective interoperable emergency communications capabilities in the event of an emergency in areas determined to be at consistently high levels of risk from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies. Requires that such capabilities ensure the ability of all levels of government, emergency response and support providers, the private sector, and other organizations with emergency response capabilities to: (1) communicate with each other in the event of an emergency; (2) have appropriate and timely access to the Information Sharing Environment described in the National Security Intelligence Reform Act of 2004; and (3) be consistent with any applicable state or urban area homeland strategy or plan.
 
(Sec. 672) Amends the Act to require the Director of the Office of Interoperability and Compatibility to engage in specified activities, including: (1) assisting the Secretary in developing and implementing the science and technology aspects of public safety interoperable communications programs of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act; (2) supporting the creation of national voluntary consensus standards; (3) establishing a comprehensive research, development, testing, and evaluation program; (4) evaluating and assessing new technology in real-world environments; and (5) coordinating with the private sector to develop solutions.
 
(Sec. 673) Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, acting through the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, to establish a comprehensive research and development program to promote the ability of emergency response providers and government officials to communicate in disasters, including, through interoperable emergency communications capabilities, among themselves.
 
(Sec. 674) Directs the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report to Congress on the status of efforts of state, local, and tribal governments to develop plans for rerouting 911 and E911 services in the event that public safety answering points are disabled during disasters.
 

Subtitle E: Stafford Act Amendments
 - (Sec. 681) Amends the Stafford Act to authorize the President, in a major disaster, to: (1) authorize precautionary evacuations; and (2) provide accelerated federal support in the absence of a specific request.
 
Directs the President to promulgate and maintain guidelines to assist governors in requesting the declaration of a major disaster in advance of a disaster (including for the purpose of seeking assistance with special needs and other evacuation efforts) by defining the types of assistance available and the circumstances for approval.
 
(Sec. 682) Directs the Administrator to develop, coordinate, and maintain: (1) a National Disaster Recovery Strategy, which shall promote the use of the most appropriate and cost-effective building materials in any area affected by a major disaster, aimed at encouraging the construction of disaster-resistant buildings; and (2) a National Disaster Housing Strategy. 
 
(Sec. 684) Increases the authorized percentage of federal contributions for a major disaster under the hazard mitigation grant program.
 
(Sec. 685) Authorizes making semi-permanent housing units a part of Stafford Act assistance. 
 
(Sec. 686) Repeals maximum amounts authorized for repair of owner-occupied private residences, utilities, and residential infrastructure and for replacement of owner-occupied private residences, damaged by a major disaster. 
 
(Sec. 687) Authorizes the President, where the area affected by a major disaster or emergency includes parts of more than one state, to appoint: (1) a single federal coordinating officer for the entire affected area; and (2) deputy federal coordinating officers.
 
(Sec. 688) Expands the scope of &quot;private nonprofit facility&quot; under the Stafford Act to include museums, zoos, libraries, performing arts facilities, senior citizen centers, and homeless shelters.
 
(Sec. 689) Directs the Administrator to develop guidelines to accommodate individuals with disabilities, which include guidelines for: (1) the accessibility of, and communications and programs in, shelters, recovery centers, and other facilities; and (2) devices used in connection with disaster operations, including first aid stations, mass feeding areas, portable pay-phone stations, portable toilets, and temporary housing.
 
(Sec. 689a) Amends the Stafford Act to require the President to issue regulations that prohibit discrimination based on disability and English proficiency in disaster assistance.
 
(Sec. 689b) Requires the Administrator, in coordination with the Attorney General, to establish: (1) within the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC); and (2) procedures to make all relevant information available to NECLC in a timely manner to facilitate the expeditious identification and reunification of children with their families.
 
Sets forth NECLC purposes and responsibilities, including to: (1) establish a toll-free telephone number to receive reports and information about displaced children and adults; (2) create a website about displaced children; (3) refer reports to an entity designated by the Attorney General to provide technical assistance in locating displaced adults and to the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System; (4) enter into cooperative agreements; and (5) develop an emergency response plan to prepare for its activation. 
 
(Sec. 689c) Directs the Administrator to establish a National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System to help reunify families separated after an emergency or major disaster. Requires such system to: (1) allow a displaced adult to voluntarily register and a parent or guardian to register a displaced child by submitting personal information to be entered into a database; (2) ensure that information submitted is accessible to individuals named by a displaced individual and to law enforcement officials; (3) be accessible through the Internet and through a toll-free number; and (4) include a means of referring displaced children to the NECLC. 
 
(Sec. 689d) Amends the Stafford Act to provide that temporary housing assistance may include the payment of the cost of utilities, excluding telephone service, and that security deposits may be taken into consideration in determining the amount of assistance.
 
(Sec. 689e) Requires the FEMA Director to: (1) identify population groups with limited English proficiency and take such groups into account in planning for an emergency or major disaster; (2) ensure that information is made available to individuals affected by a major disaster or emergency in formats that can be understood by such groups and by individuals with special needs; and (3) develop and maintain an information clearinghouse of model language assistance programs and best practices for state and local governments. 
 
(Sec. 689f) Authorizes the President to provide: (1) transportation assistance to relocate individuals displaced from their predisaster primary residences as a result of an incident declared under the Stafford Act to and from alternative locations for short- or long-term accommodation or to return such individuals to their residence or alternative location; and (2) case management services to state or local government agencies or qualified private organizations to identify and address unmet needs of disaster victims.
 
(Sec. 689g) Directs the President to designate in FEMA a Small State and Rural Advocate to assist small population states in preparing requests for major disaster or emergency declarations. 
 
(Sec. 689h) Amends the Stafford Act to include education within the definition of &quot;critical services&quot; for which the President may contribute assistance to private nonprofit facilities.
 
(Sec. 689i) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to conduct a pilot program to make better use of existing rental housing in areas covered by a major disaster declaration where alternative temporary housing options are less available or less cost-effective. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) enter into lease agreements with owners of multi-family rental property to house eligible individuals and households; (2) make improvements to properties under such agreements; and (3) limit repairs to those required to meet federal housing quality standards. 
 
(Sec. 689j) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to conduct a pilot program to: (1) reduce the costs to the federal government of providing public assistance to states and local governments under the Stafford Act; (2) increase flexibility in the administration of that Act; and (3) expedite the provision of assistance to states and local governments. 
 
(Sec. 689k) Provides for the disposal of FEMA temporary housing units not used to house individuals or households under the Stafford Act after the date of enactment of this Act, in coordination with the Department of the Interior or other appropriate agencies in order to transfer such units to tribal governments if appropriate.
 

Subtitle F: Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
 - (Sec. 691) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress identifying: (1) recurring disaster response requirements that FEMA can and cannot contract for in advance of disasters in a cost-effective manner; and (2) a contracting strategy that maximizes the practical and cost effective use of advance contracts. Directs the Administrator to: (1) enter into contracts through competitive procedures for each type of good or service identified in accordance with such strategy; and (2) maintain contracts for appropriate levels of goods and services. 
 
(Sec. 692) Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations applicable to any cost-reimbursement type contract or task or delivery order in an amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold entered into by DHS to facilitate response to or recovery from a disaster to minimize the excessive use of subcontractors. Requires such regulations to preclude a contractor from using subcontracts for more than 65% of the cost of the contract or the cost of any individual task or delivery order (excluding overhead and profit) unless the Secretary determines that such requirement is not feasible or practicable.
 
(Sec. 693) Authorizes the Administrator to designate up to 1% of the total amount provided to a federal agency for a mission assignment for oversight activities, including: (1) monitoring and controlling expenditures; (2) reviewing selected contracts; (3) investigating allegations of fraud; and (4) fraud prevention activities with federal, state, and local government personnel and contractors. Prohibits the use of oversight funds to finance existing agency oversight responsibilities related to direct agency appropriations used for disaster response, relief, and recovery activities. 
 
(Sec. 694) Amends the Stafford Act to require any expenditure of federal funds for major disaster or emergency assistance activities carried out by a contract or agreement not awarded to an organization or individual residing or doing business primarily in the area affected by the disaster to be justified in writing. Requires an agency performing response, relief, and reconstruction activities to transition work performed under contracts in effect on the date the President declares the emergency or major disaster to organizations and individuals residing or doing business primarily in any area affected.
 
(Sec. 695) Directs the Secretary to restrict the period of any contract in an amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold entered into by DHS using other than competitive procedures to facilitate response to or recovery from a disaster.
 
(Sec. 696) Directs the Administrator to ensure that: (1) all FEMA programs administering federal disaster relief assistance develop and maintain controls to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; (2) application databases used by FEMA to collect information on eligible recipients record disbursements; (3) such tracking is designed to identify ineligible applications; and (4) the databases used for applications for such assistance are integrated with disbursements and payment records. Requires specified audits and reviews and verification measures.
 
(Sec. 697) Directs the Administrator to establish and maintain a publicly available registry of contractors willing to perform debris removal, supply distribution, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief activities.
 
(Sec. 698) Directs the Administrator to implement a program to provide training on the prevention of waste, fraud, and abuse of federal disaster relief assistance relating to the response to or recovery from disasters.
 

Subtitle G: Authorization of Appropriations
 - (Sec. 699) Authorizes appropriations for FEMA administration and operations for FY2008-FY2010.

action_date: 2006-10-04
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since the Conference Report was filed in the House on September 28, 2006. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 - 
Title I: Departmental Management and Operations
 - Makes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007 for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) and executive management; (2) the Office of the Under Secretary for Management; (3) the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (4) the Office of the Chief Information Officer; (5) analysis and operations; (6) the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; and (7) the Office of Inspector General.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified amounts of the funds provided for the Office of the Secretary and executive management until the Secretary submits to Congress: (1) a comprehensive port, container, and cargo security strategic plan that requires screening all inbound cargo, doubles the percentage currently inspected, sets minimum standards for securing it, and includes the FY2007 performance requirements specified in the joint explanatory statement accompanying this Act; and (2) the Secure Border Initiative multiyear strategic plan (by no later than December 1, 2006).
 
Directs the Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress on whether insurers under the Write-Your-Own program improperly attributed damages from Hurricane Katrina to flooding covered under the national flood insurance program rather than to windstorms covered by such insurers.
 
 
Title II: Security, Enforcement, and Investigations
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (U.S.-VISIT) project; (2) Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including for hiring additional border patrol agents, customs and border protection automated systems, border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology, and air and marine interdiction; (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including for activities to enforce laws against forced child labor, and for automated systems and construction; (4) the Federal Protective Service; (5) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), including for aviation security, surface transportation security, transportation threat assessment and credentialing, transportation security support, and Federal Air Marshals; (6) the U.S. Coast Guard, including for environmental compliance and restoration; and (7) the U.S. Secret Service.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified funds for the U.S.-VISIT project until Congress receives and approves a plan for expenditure that includes: (1) a comprehensive strategic plan for the project; and (2) a complete schedule for the full implementation of a biometric exit program.
 
Directs TSA to submit to Congress a detailed air cargo security action plan by December 1, 2006, addressing each of the recommendations contained in the 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on domestic air cargo security. Prohibits using funds in this Act to recruit or hire TSA personnel in excess of a staffing level of 45,000 full-time equivalent screeners.
 

Title III: Preparedness and Recovery
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: the immediate Office of the Under Secretary for Preparedness, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and the Office of National Capital Region Coordination. Requires the governors of West Virginia and Pennsylvania to be included in efforts to integrate the activities of federal, state, and local governments for purposes of planning, coordination, and execution of mass evacuation during a disaster in the National Capital Region. 
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Office of Grants and Training (OGT), including for grants to state and local governments for terrorism prevention activities, firefighter assistance grants, emergency management performance grants, the U.S. Fire Administration, training, and infrastructure protection and information security. Directs the Secretary, by September 30, 2007, to distribute unallocated funds made available for assistance to specified tax-exempt entities, or corporations or foundations organized and operated exclusively for specified purposes (including religious, charitable, scientific, educational, or athletic purposes), determined to be at high-risk of international terrorist attack. States that the aggregate charges assessed during FY2007 for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program shall not be less than 100% of the necessary amounts anticipated by DHS. 
 
Makes FY2007 appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including for the disaster assistance direct loan program, the Flood Map Modernization Fund, the National Flood Insurance Fund, the National Flood Mitigation Fund, the National Pre-Disaster Mitigation Fund, and an emergency food and shelter program.
 

Title IV: Research and Development, Training, and Services
 - Makes FY2007 appropriations for: (1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS); (2) the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; (3) the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology; and (4) the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
 
Prohibits the obligation of specified sums: (1) until Congress approves a strategic transformation plan for CIS that has been approved by the Secretary and reviewed by GAO; (2) until Congress approves a report prepared by the Under Secretary of Science and Technology that describes progress to address financial management deficiencies, improve its management controls, and implement performance measures and evaluations; and (3) for full scale procurement of Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Monitors until the Secretary has certified that a significant increase in operational effectiveness will be achieved.
 

Title V: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 504) Provides that none of the funds appropriated to DHS may be used to make payments to the DHS Working Capital Fund except for the activities and amounts allowed in the President's FY2007 budget, excluding sedan and shuttle service, transit subsidy, mail operations, parking, and competitive sourcing.
 
(Sec. 506) Deems funds made available by this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress during FY2007 until the enactment of an Act authorizing such activities for FY2007. 
 
(Sec. 507) Directs the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to lead the federal law enforcement training accreditation process to continue the implementation of measuring and assessing the quality and effectiveness of federal law enforcement training programs.
 
(Sec. 508) Prohibits funds from being used to make a grant allocation, discretionary grant, or contract award, to issue a letter of intent totaling in excess of $1 million, or to announce the intention to make such an award unless the Secretary notifies Congress at least three full business days in advance. Requires OGT to brief Congress five full business days in advance of announcing the intention of making an award of formula-based grants, law enforcement terrorism prevention grants, or high-threat, high-density urban areas grants.
 
(Sec. 510) Requires the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to schedule law enforcement training to ensure that all four of its training facilities are operated at highest capacity. 
 
(Sec. 514) Prohibits the use of funds for implementation, on other than on a test basis, of the Secure Flight Program or other passenger prescreening program until the Secretary certifies, and GAO reports, that specified requirements (including requirements related to due process rights, the accuracy of search tools, the establishment of an internal oversight board, and safeguards against abuse) have been met. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a detailed plan describing the dates for achieving key milestones and the methodology to be followed to support the Secretary's certification. Prohibits: (1) during testing, using information gathered from passengers, air carriers, or reservation systems to screen passengers or restrict boarding, except where passenger names are matched to a watch list; and (2) utilizing funds to develop algorithms assigning risk to passengers whose names are not on such lists or for data or a database obtained from or under the control of a non-federal entity.
 
(Sec. 515) Prohibits the use of funds to: (1) amend the oath of allegiance required for naturalization; (2) process or approve a competition under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 for services provided as of June 1, 2004, by DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration Information Officers, Contact Representatives, or Investigative Assistants; and (3) make Secret Service funds available for the protection of persons other than the Secretary. Provides that, beginning in FY2008, no Secret Service appropriations shall be made available for the protection of a person other than the Secretary and persons granted protection under provisions of the federal criminal code. Authorizes the Director of the Secret Service to enter into an agreement to perform such protection on a fully reimbursable basis for protectees not so designated. 
 
(Sec. 518) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop standards and protocols for increasing the use of explosive detection equipment to screen air cargo; and (2) research, develop, and procure new technologies to inspect and screen air cargo carried on passenger aircraft at the earliest date possible. 
 
(Sec. 519) Requires TSA to report air cargo inspection statistics to Congress at the close of each quarter, including reasons for noncompliance with requirements to triple the percentage of cargo inspected on passenger aircraft.
 
(Sec. 525) Requires the Secretary to revise DHS MD 11056 to provide: (1) requirements for review of requests to release documents containing information designated as sensitive security information (SSI); and (2) common and extensive examples of the individual categories of SSI to minimize and standardize judgment by covered persons in the application of SSI marking.
 
 Provides for access to SSI by parties in civil proceedings in U.S. district courts where the party demonstrates a substantial need of such SSI in the preparation of the party's case and that the party is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the information by other means, provided that the overseeing judge enters an order that protects the SSI from unauthorized or unnecessary disclosure and specifies the terms and conditions of access. Authorizes a civil penalty of up to $50,000 for SSI violations.
 
(Sec. 526) Continues the DHS Working Capital Fund's operations during FY2007.
 
(Sec. 527) Rescinds specified unobligated balances of the Counterterrorism Fund. 
 
(Sec. 531) Requires the Chief Financial Officer of DHS to submit to Congress a monthly budget and staffing report that includes total obligations and on-board versus funded full-time equivalent staffing levels.
 
(Sec. 532) Sets forth requirements regarding the use of funds (including the proceeds of undercover investigative operations) by the Secret Service for such operations, including certification, deposit, reporting, and audit requirements.
 
(Sec. 533) Requires the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to operate extramural and intramural research, development, demonstrations, testing, and evaluation programs so as to distribute funding through grants, cooperative agreements, other transactions, and contracts.
 
(Sec. 534) Directs the Secretary to consider the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission in Mississippi eligible under the FEMA Public Assistance Program for costs incurred for dredging sediment deposited as a result of Hurricane George in 1998 from the navigation channel in Little Lake, Louisiana.
 
(Sec. 535) Prohibits the use of CBP funds to prevent an individual not in the drug importation business from importing from Canada a personal use quantity (not exceeding a 90-day supply) of a prescription drug that complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and that is not a controlled substance or a biological product.
 
(Sec. 536) Requires DHS, in approving standards for state and local emergency preparedness operational plans, to account for the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals.
 
(Sec. 546) Amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to require implementation of the plan developed by the Secretary to require identity and citizenship documents for travel into the United States by U.S. citizens and by categories of individuals for whom documentation requirements have previously been waived on the basis of reciprocity (for nationals of foreign contiguous territory or adjacent islands) not later than the earlier of June 1, 2009, or three months after the Secretary and the Secretary of State makes certifications concerning: (1) security standards for a passport card architecture; (2) sharing of technology with the governments of Canada and Mexico; (3) U.S. Postal Service fees for the card; (4) an alternative procedure for groups of children traveling across an international border under adult supervision with parental consent; (5) the technological infrastructure and training necessary to process the cards; (6) card availability; and (7) establishment of a single implementation date for sea and land borders.
 
(Sec. 550) Requires the Secretary to issue interim final regulations establishing risk-based performance standards for the security of chemical facilities and requiring vulnerability assessments and the development and implementation of site security plans for chemical facilities that meet specified requirements. Sets civil penalties for violations. Directs the Secretary to audit and inspect facilities to determine compliance. Permits the Secretary to issue an order for a facility not in compliance to cease operation until the owner or operator complies with this section.
 
(Sec. 551) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit constructing or financing the construction of a tunnel or subterranean passage that crosses the international border between the United States and another country other than a lawfully authorized tunnel or passage known to the Secretary and subject to ICE inspection. 
 
Directs: (1) the court, in imposing sentence on a person convicted of a violation of, or conspiracy to violate, such prohibition, to order that the person forfeit to the United States specified property used in the commission of the offense, and any property that constitutes or is derived from or traceable to the proceeds obtained from commission of the offense, or used to facilitate, or intended to be used to facilitate, the commission of the offense; and (2) the U.S. Sentencing Commission to take specified steps, including ensuring that the sentencing guidelines reflect the serious nature of the offense, provide adequate base offense levels for such offense, and account for any aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
 
(Sec. 552) Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to alter or reduce operations within the Civil Engineering Program of the Coast Guard nationwide until specified congressional committees receive and approve a plan on Program changes, including any modifications of functions, personnel, or offices.
 
(Sec. 553) Prohibits funds from being used to take an action that would violate Executive Order 13149 (relating to greening the government through federal fleet and transportation efficiency).
 
(Sec. 554) Directs TSA to: (1) require each air carrier to submit plans on participating in the voluntary provision of emergency services program; (2) prepare a report that contains procedures and relevant contacts for participating individuals; and (3) make the report available to Congress, the emergency response agency of each state, and the relevant organizations representing participating individuals.
 
(Sec. 555) Requires the FEMA Director to report to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees outlining federal earthquake response plans for high-risk earthquake regions in the United States.
 
(Sec. 556) Requires the Secretary to establish revised procedures for expeditiously clearing individuals whose names have been mistakenly placed on a terrorist database list or who have names identical or similar to individuals on such a list.
 
(Sec. 557) Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to prohibit any U.S. officer or employee, or person operating under color of federal law, under control of a federal official, or providing services to such person, while acting in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency, from: (1) seizing any firearm the possession of which is not prohibited under federal or state law, other than for forfeiture in compliance with federal law or as evidence in a criminal investigation; (2) requiring registration of any firearm for which registration is not required by federal or state law; (3) prohibiting possession of any firearm where such possession is not otherwise prohibited; or (4) prohibiting the carrying of a firearm by any person otherwise authorized to carry firearms, solely because such person is operating under the control of a federal agency in support of relief from a major disaster or emergency. Authorizes any individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to seek relief by bringing an action for redress and by bringing a civil action in U.S. district court for return of a confiscated firearm.
 
(Sec. 558) Requires the Secretary to: (1) designate three foreign seaports through which containers pass or are transshipped to the United States to pilot an integrated scanning system that couples non-intrusive imaging equipment and radiation detection equipment, which may be provided by the Megaports Initiative of the Department of Energy (DOE); (2) consider three distinct ports with unique features and differing levels of trade volume; and (3) collaborate with the Secretary of Energy and cooperate with the private sector and host foreign governments to implement the pilot program.
 
 Requires the Secretary, within one year, to achieve a full-scale implementation of the screening system, which shall: (1) scan all containers destined for the United States that transit through the terminal; (2) electronically transmit the images and information to the container security initiative personnel in the host country and/or CBP personnel in the United States for evaluation and analysis; (3) resolve every radiation alarm according to established procedures; (4) utilize the information collected to enhance the Automated Targeting System (ATS) or other relevant programs; and (5) store the information for later retrieval and analysis.
 
 Directs the Secretary to: (1) determine whether such system has a sufficiently low false alarm rate, can be operated at ports overseas and integrated with existing systems, does not significantly impact trade capacity and flow of cargo, and provides an automated notification of questionable or high-risk cargo as a trigger for further inspection; (2) report on the pilot program, the efficacy of the ATS in utilizing the images captured to examine high-risk containers, the software capable of automatically identifying potential anomalies in scanned containers, and expanding the integrated scanning system to other container security initiative ports; and (3) seek to secure foreign government cooperation to initiate use of such technology at foreign ports to scan all cargo bound for the United States as quickly as possible.
 

Title VI: National Emergency Management 
 - (Sec. 601) Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 - 
Subtitle A: Federal Emergency Management Agency
 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (the Act) to keep FEMA within DHS and to provide that FEMA's primary mission is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.
 
Requires the Administrator of FEMA to: (1) be appointed by the President from among individuals who have a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security and not less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public or private sector; and (2) report to the Secretary without being required to report through any other DHS official. Designates the Administrator as the principal advisor to the President, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary for all matters relating to emergency management. Authorizes the President to designate the Administrator to serve as a member of the Cabinet in the event of disasters.
 
Directs the Administrator to provide federal leadership necessary to prepare for and respond to a disaster, including by: (1) helping to ensure the acquisition of operable and interoperable communications capabilities; (2) carrying out FEMA's mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; (3) preparing and implementing federal government plans for continuity of operations; (4) maintaining and operating the National Response Coordination Center or its successor; and (5) assisting the President in carrying out the functions under the national preparedness goal and system.
 
Transfers to FEMA all functions of the Directorate of Preparedness, as constituted on June 1, 2006, except for the Office of Infrastructure Protection, the National Communications System, the National Cybersecurity Division, and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.
 
 Directs that FEMA be maintained as a distinct entity within DHS. Prohibits the Secretary from reducing its authorities, responsibilities, functions, or capabilities, except as specifically provided in subsequent Acts. Prohibits certain transfers of FEMA assets, functions, or mission.
 
Requires: (1) the Administrator to establish 10 regional offices and area offices for the Pacific, for the Caribbean, and in Alaska; (2) each Regional Administrator to establish multi-agency strike teams to respond to disasters, including catastrophic incidents; and (3) the Secretary to establish a National Advisory Council to ensure coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation for disasters.
 
Establishes within FEMA a National Integration Center, a National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center, a National Operations Center, and a Chief Medical Officer. 
 
Directs the Secretary: (1) acting through the Administrator, to ensure that the National Response Plan provides for a clear chain of command to lead and coordinate the federal response to any disaster; and (2) the Administrator to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the administrators of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, state, local, and tribal governments, and organizations that represent emergency response providers to collaborate on developing standards for deployment capabilities.
 
Sets forth provisions regarding evacuation plans and exercises. Directs the Administrator to appoint a Disability Coordinator.
 

Subtitle B: Personnel Provisions
 - 
Chapter 1: Federal Emergency Management Agency Personnel
 - (Sec. 621) Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop and submit to Congress a strategic human capital plan, including a plan of action to address gaps in critical skills and competencies; and (2) publish information on career paths for FEMA personnel. Authorizes the Administrator to pay bonuses to recruit difficult to fill positions and to retain certain unusually highly or uniquely qualified individuals. Directs the Administrator to report on a quarterly basis on vacancies in employee positions. 
 
(Sec. 622) Directs the Secretary to establish the Homeland Security Rotation Program for DHS employees to expand DHS's knowledge base and build professional relationships and contacts.
 
(Sec. 623) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish a graduate-level Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region to provide educational opportunities to senior federal officials and selected state and local officials with homeland security and emergency management responsibilities.
 
(Sec. 624) Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress a plan to establish and implement a Surge Capacity Force for deployment of individuals to respond to disasters, including catastrophic incidents.
 

Chapter 2: Emergency Management Capabilities
 - (Sec. 631) Amends the Stafford Act to provide for the submission of a state catastrophic incident annex.
 
(Sec. 632) Directs the Administrator to provide evacuation preparedness technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments.
 
(Sec. 633) Requires the President, acting through the FEMA Director, to establish at least three national response teams, sufficient regional response teams, and other response teams as necessary to meet the federal government's incident management responsibilities.
 
(Sec. 634) Establishes within FEMA the Urban Search and Rescue Response System. Reestablishes the Metropolitan Medical Response Program. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 636) Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop an efficient, transparent, and flexible logistics system for procurement and delivery of goods and services necessary for an effective and timely response to disasters; and (2) establish a prepositioned equipment program to preposition standardized emergency equipment in at least 11 locations to sustain and replenish critical assets used by state, local, and tribal governments in response to disasters.
 
(Sec. 638) Directs the Administrator to establish Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recovery offices in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas. Directs the Administrator to identify performance measures and provide incentives for the timely closeout of specified public assistance projects.
 
(Sec. 639) Directs the Administrator to enter into agreements with organizations to provide funds to emergency response providers to provide education and training in life supporting first aid to children.
 
(Sec. 640) Directs the Administrator to update and improve FEMA's information technology systems.
 
(Sec. 640a) Authorizes the Administrator, in the event of circumstances requiring an evacuation, sheltering, or mass relocation, to disclose information in any FEMA individual assistance database to law enforcement to identify illegal conduct or to address public safety or security issues, including compliance with sex offender notification laws.
 

Subtitle C: Comprehensive Preparedness System - Chapter 1: National Preparedness System - 
(Sec. 642) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to: (1) complete and update a national preparedness goal that defines the target level of preparedness to ensure the nation's ability to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disasters; and (2) develop a national preparedness system to meet that goal. Lists components of the system, including target capabilities, preparedness priorities, and equipment and training standards. 
 
(Sec. 645) Authorizes the Administrator to develop national planning scenarios to reflect the relative risk requirements presented by all hazards to provide the foundation for the flexible and adaptive development of target capabilities and the identification of target capability levels to meet the national preparedness goal.
 
(Sec. 646) Directs the Administrator to: (1) complete and update guidelines to define risk-based target capabilities for government preparedness that will enable the nation to prevent and respond to all hazards; (2) support the promulgation and updating of national voluntary consensus standards for equipment; (3) carry out a national training program to implement, and a national exercise program to test and evaluate, the national preparedness goal, the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies; (4) establish a comprehensive system to assess the nation's prevention capabilities and overall preparedness; (5) establish a remedial action management program; (6) accelerate the completion of the inventory of federal response capabilities; and (7) report annually on the nation's level of preparedness for all hazards, including annual estimates of FEMA and other federal agency resources needed for and devoted specifically to developing the government capabilities necessary to respond to a catastrophic incident. Requires states receiving federal preparedness assistance to report to the Administrator on the state's level of preparedness.
 
(Sec. 653) Directs the President to ensure that each federal agency with coordinating, primary, or supporting responsibilities under the National Response Plan: (1) has the operational capability to meet the national preparedness goal; (2) complies with NIMS; (3) develops, trains, and exercises rosters of response personnel; and (4) develops operational plans and capabilities to ensure a coordinated federal response to disasters in support of the National Response Plan. Requires the President to certify agency compliance annually.
 
(Sec. 654) Directs the Administrator to use existing preparedness documents, planning tools, and guidelines in establishing the national preparedness goal and system.
 

Chapter 2: Additional Preparedness
 - (Sec. 661) Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to administer the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
 
(Sec. 662) Authorizes appropriations for the Emergency Management Performance Grants Program for FY2008.
 
(Sec. 663) Transfers the Noble Training Center to the Center for Domestic Preparedness.
 
(Sec. 664) Directs the President to establish a national exercise simulation center that uses: (1) a mix of live, virtual, and constructive simulations to meet specified goals, including preparing elected officials, emergency managers, emergency response providers, and emergency support providers to operate cohesively; and (2) modeling and simulation for training, exercises, and command and control functions at the operational level.
 

Subtitle D: Emergency Communications 
- (Sec. 671) 21st Century Emergency Communications Act of 2006 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS an Office of Emergency Communications, to be headed by the Director for Emergency Communications. 
 
Includes among the Director's responsibilities: (1) assisting the Secretary of DHS in developing and implementing the program to enhance public safety interoperable communications at all levels of government; (2) administering DHS authorities for the SAFECOM Program, the Integrated Wireless Network program, and the Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program; (3) establishing requirements for interoperable emergency communications capabilities for all public safety radio and data communications systems and equipment purchased using DHS assistance; and (4) coordinating with the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility and with the FEMA Administrator.
 
Directs the Secretary, through the Director, to: (1) develop and update a National Emergency Communications Plan to provide recommendations on accelerating the deployment of interoperable emergency communications; (2) assess the range of emergency communications capabilities needed; and (3) report biennially on DHS progress in achieving stated goals; and (4) ensure that grant guidelines for the use of homeland security assistance administered by DHS relating to interoperable emergency communications are coordinated and consistent with the goals and recommendations in the National Emergency Communications Report.
 
Requires the Secretary to support the development of national voluntary consensus standards for interoperable emergency communications. Allows the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Grants and Planning, to prohibit any state, local, or tribal government from using DHS assistance for emergency communications capabilities if such government has not met specified requirements, including submission of a Statewide Interoperable Communications Plan, and if such national standards have not been developed and promulgated within three years.
 
Establishes: (1) in each regional office a Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group; and (2) the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center to serve as the focal point for interagency efforts and as a clearinghouse with respect to all relevant intergovernmental information to promote interoperable emergency communications and the ability of emergency response providers and government officials to communicate in disasters. Requires the Center to submit to Congress annual strategic assessments.
 
Directs the Secretary to provide technical guidance, training, and other assistance to support the rapid establishment of consistent, secure, and effective interoperable emergency communications capabilities in the event of an emergency in areas determined to be at consistently high levels of risk from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies. Requires that such capabilities ensure the ability of all levels of government, emergency response and support providers, the private sector, and other organizations with emergency response capabilities to: (1) communicate with each other in the event of an emergency; (2) have appropriate and timely access to the Information Sharing Environment described in the National Security Intelligence Reform Act of 2004; and (3) be consistent with any applicable state or urban area homeland strategy or plan.
 
(Sec. 672) Amends the Act to require the Director of the Office of Interoperability and Compatibility to engage in specified activities, including: (1) assisting the Secretary in developing and implementing the science and technology aspects of public safety interoperable communications programs of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act; (2) supporting the creation of national voluntary consensus standards; (3) establishing a comprehensive research, development, testing, and evaluation program; (4) evaluating and assessing new technology in real-world environments; and (5) coordinating with the private sector to develop solutions.
 
(Sec. 673) Directs the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, acting through the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, to establish a comprehensive research and development program to promote the ability of emergency response providers and government officials to communicate in disasters, including, through interoperable emergency communications capabilities, among themselves.
 
(Sec. 674) Directs the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report to Congress on the status of efforts of state, local, and tribal governments to develop plans for rerouting 911 and E911 services in the event that public safety answering points are disabled during disasters.
 

Subtitle E: Stafford Act Amendments
 - (Sec. 681) Amends the Stafford Act to authorize the President, in a major disaster, to: (1) authorize precautionary evacuations; and (2) provide accelerated federal support in the absence of a specific request.
 
Directs the President to promulgate and maintain guidelines to assist governors in requesting the declaration of a major disaster in advance of a disaster (including for the purpose of seeking assistance with special needs and other evacuation efforts) by defining the types of assistance available and the circumstances for approval.
 
(Sec. 682) Directs the Administrator to develop, coordinate, and maintain: (1) a National Disaster Recovery Strategy, which shall promote the use of the most appropriate and cost-effective building materials in any area affected by a major disaster, aimed at encouraging the construction of disaster-resistant buildings; and (2) a National Disaster Housing Strategy. 
 
(Sec. 684) Increases the authorized percentage of federal contributions for a major disaster under the hazard mitigation grant program.
 
(Sec. 685) Authorizes making semi-permanent housing units a part of Stafford Act assistance. 
 
(Sec. 686) Repeals maximum amounts authorized for repair of owner-occupied private residences, utilities, and residential infrastructure and for replacement of owner-occupied private residences, damaged by a major disaster. 
 
(Sec. 687) Authorizes the President, where the area affected by a major disaster or emergency includes parts of more than one state, to appoint: (1) a single federal coordinating officer for the entire affected area; and (2) deputy federal coordinating officers.
 
(Sec. 688) Expands the scope of &quot;private nonprofit facility&quot; under the Stafford Act to include museums, zoos, libraries, performing arts facilities, senior citizen centers, and homeless shelters.
 
(Sec. 689) Directs the Administrator to develop guidelines to accommodate individuals with disabilities, which include guidelines for: (1) the accessibility of, and communications and programs in, shelters, recovery centers, and other facilities; and (2) devices used in connection with disaster operations, including first aid stations, mass feeding areas, portable pay-phone stations, portable toilets, and temporary housing.
 
(Sec. 689a) Amends the Stafford Act to require the President to issue regulations that prohibit discrimination based on disability and English proficiency in disaster assistance.
 
(Sec. 689b) Requires the Administrator, in coordination with the Attorney General, to establish: (1) within the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC); and (2) procedures to make all relevant information available to NECLC in a timely manner to facilitate the expeditious identification and reunification of children with their families.
 
Sets forth NECLC purposes and responsibilities, including to: (1) establish a toll-free telephone number to receive reports and information about displaced children and adults; (2) create a website about displaced children; (3) refer reports to an entity designated by the Attorney General to provide technical assistance in locating displaced adults and to the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System; (4) enter into cooperative agreements; and (5) develop an emergency response plan to prepare for its activation. 
 
(Sec. 689c) Directs the Administrator to establish a National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System to help reunify families separated after an emergency or major disaster. Requires such system to: (1) allow a displaced adult to voluntarily register and a parent or guardian to register a displaced child by submitting personal information to be entered into a database; (2) ensure that information submitted is accessible to individuals named by a displaced individual and to law enforcement officials; (3) be accessible through the Internet and through a toll-free number; and (4) include a means of referring displaced children to the NECLC. 
 
(Sec. 689d) Amends the Stafford Act to provide that temporary housing assistance may include the payment of the cost of utilities, excluding telephone service, and that security deposits may be taken into consideration in determining the amount of assistance.
 
(Sec. 689e) Requires the FEMA Director to: (1) identify population groups with limited English proficiency and take such groups into account in planning for an emergency or major disaster; (2) ensure that information is made available to individuals affected by a major disaster or emergency in formats that can be understood by such groups and by individuals with special needs; and (3) develop and maintain an information clearinghouse of model language assistance programs and best practices for state and local governments. 
 
(Sec. 689f) Authorizes the President to provide: (1) transportation assistance to relocate individuals displaced from their predisaster primary residences as a result of an incident declared under the Stafford Act to and from alternative locations for short- or long-term accommodation or to return such individuals to their residence or alternative location; and (2) case management services to state or local government agencies or qualified private organizations to identify and address unmet needs of disaster victims.
 
(Sec. 689g) Directs the President to designate in FEMA a Small State and Rural Advocate to assist small population states in preparing requests for major disaster or emergency declarations. 
 
(Sec. 689h) Amends the Stafford Act to include education within the definition of &quot;critical services&quot; for which the President may contribute assistance to private nonprofit facilities.
 
(Sec. 689i) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to conduct a pilot program to make better use of existing rental housing in areas covered by a major disaster declaration where alternative temporary housing options are less available or less cost-effective. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) enter into lease agreements with owners of multi-family rental property to house eligible individuals and households; (2) make improvements to properties under such agreements; and (3) limit repairs to those required to meet federal housing quality standards. 
 
(Sec. 689j) Directs the President, acting through the Administrator, to conduct a pilot program to: (1) reduce the costs to the federal government of providing public assistance to states and local governments under the Stafford Act; (2) increase flexibility in the administration of that Act; and (3) expedite the provision of assistance to states and local governments. 
 
(Sec. 689k) Provides for the disposal of FEMA temporary housing units not used to house individuals or households under the Stafford Act after the date of enactment of this Act, in coordination with the Department of the Interior or other appropriate agencies in order to transfer such units to tribal governments if appropriate.
 

Subtitle F: Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
 - (Sec. 691) Requires the Administrator to report to Congress identifying: (1) recurring disaster response requirements that FEMA can and cannot contract for in advance of disasters in a cost-effective manner; and (2) a contracting strategy that maximizes the practical and cost effective use of advance contracts. Directs the Administrator to: (1) enter into contracts through competitive procedures for each type of good or service identified in accordance with such strategy; and (2) maintain contracts for appropriate levels of goods and services. 
 
(Sec. 692) Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations applicable to any cost-reimbursement type contract or task or delivery order in an amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold entered into by DHS to facilitate response to or recovery from a disaster to minimize the excessive use of subcontractors. Requires such regulations to preclude a contractor from using subcontracts for more than 65% of the cost of the contract or the cost of any individual task or delivery order (excluding overhead and profit) unless the Secretary determines that such requirement is not feasible or practicable.
 
(Sec. 693) Authorizes the Administrator to designate up to 1% of the total amount provided to a federal agency for a mission assignment for oversight activities, including: (1) monitoring and controlling expenditures; (2) reviewing selected contracts; (3) investigating allegations of fraud; and (4) fraud prevention activities with federal, state, and local government personnel and contractors. Prohibits the use of oversight funds to finance existing agency oversight responsibilities related to direct agency appropriations used for disaster response, relief, and recovery activities. 
 
(Sec. 694) Amends the Stafford Act to require any expenditure of federal funds for major disaster or emergency assistance activities carried out by a contract or agreement not awarded to an organization or individual residing or doing business primarily in the area affected by the disaster to be justified in writing. Requires an agency performing response, relief, and reconstruction activities to transition work performed under contracts in effect on the date the President declares the emergency or major disaster to organizations and individuals residing or doing business primarily in any area affected.
 
(Sec. 695) Directs the Secretary to restrict the period of any contract in an amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold entered into by DHS using other than competitive procedures to facilitate response to or recovery from a disaster.
 
(Sec. 696) Directs the Administrator to ensure that: (1) all FEMA programs administering federal disaster relief assistance develop and maintain controls to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; (2) application databases used by FEMA to collect information on eligible recipients record disbursements; (3) such tracking is designed to identify ineligible applications; and (4) the databases used for applications for such assistance are integrated with disbursements and payment records. Requires specified audits and reviews and verification measures.
 
(Sec. 697) Directs the Administrator to establish and maintain a publicly available registry of contractors willing to perform debris removal, supply distribution, reconstruction, and other disaster or emergency relief activities.
 
(Sec. 698) Directs the Administrator to implement a program to provide training on the prevention of waste, fraud, and abuse of federal disaster relief assistance relating to the response to or recovery from disasters.
 

Subtitle G: Authorization of Appropriations
 - (Sec. 699) Authorizes appropriations for FEMA administration and operations for FY2008-FY2010.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-10-04
text: Became Public Law No: 109-295.
action_date: 2006-10-04
text: Became Public Law No: 109-295.
action_date: 2006-10-04
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2006-10-04
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2006-10-03
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2006-10-03
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S10618-10632)
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote.(consideration: CR S10618-10632)
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Conference papers: Senate report and manager's statement and message on House action held at the desk in Senate.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 412 - 6 (Roll no. 509).
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Motions to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 412 - 6 (Roll no. 509).
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: The House proceeded to consider the conference report H.Rept. 109-699 as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7877-7886, H7989)
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of the debate on the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 5441, the Chair announced that pursuant to the Rules of the House, the Yeas and Nays were ordered. Subsequently, the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption on the Conference Report until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: DEBATE - The House resumed debate on H.R. 5441.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 5441.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) brought up conference report H. Rept. 109-699 for consideration under the provisions of H. Res. 1054.
action_date: 2006-09-28
text: Conference report H. Rept. 109-699 filed. (text of conference report:  CR H7784-7848)
action_date: 2006-09-28
text: Conference report filed: Conference report H. Rept. 109-699 filed.(text of conference report:  CR H7784-7848)
action_date: 2006-09-25
text: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2006-09-25
text: Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2006-09-21
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2006-09-21
text: The Speaker appointed conferees: Rogers (KY), Wamp, Latham, Emerson, Sweeney, Kolbe, Istook, Crenshaw, Carter, Lewis (CA), Sabo, Price (NC), Serrano, Roybal-Allard, Bishop (GA), Berry, Edwards, and Obey.
action_date: 2006-09-21
text: On motion that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference Agreed to by voice vote. (consideration: CR H6896)
action_date: 2006-09-21
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference.
action_date: 2006-07-17
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2006-07-17
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2006-07-13
text: Senate insists on its amendment, asks for a conference, appoints conferees Gregg; Cochran; Stevens; Specter; Domenici; Shelby; Craig; Bennett; Allard; Byrd; Inouye; Leahy; Mikulski; Kohl; Murray; Reid; Feinstein.
action_date: 2006-07-13
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 100 - 0. Record Vote Number: 203. (text: CR 7/17/2006 S7633-7650)
action_date: 2006-07-13
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 100 - 0. Record Vote Number: 203.(text: CR 7/17/2006 S7633-7650)
action_date: 2006-07-13
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S7455-7504)
action_date: 2006-07-12
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S7366-7407)
action_date: 2006-07-11
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S7293-7305, S7306-7328)
action_date: 2006-07-10
text: The committee substitute agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2006-07-10
text: Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S7264-7278; text of measure as reported in Senate: CR S7264-7271)
action_date: 2006-06-29
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 503.
action_date: 2006-06-29
text: Committee on Appropriations. Reported by Senator Gregg with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-273.
action_date: 2006-06-29
text: Committee on Appropriations. Reported by Senator Gregg with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-273.
action_date: 2006-06-29
text: Committee on Appropriations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2006-06-27
text: Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Approved for full committee consideration with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2006-06-07
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The Clerk was authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross references, and to make other necessary technical and conforming corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 5441.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 389 - 9 (Roll no. 226).
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 389 - 9 (Roll no. 226).
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: On motion to table the appeal of the ruling of the Chair Agreed to by recorded vote: 207 - 191, 2 Present (Roll no. 225).
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved to table the appeal of the ruling of the Chair.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mrs. Lowey appealed the ruling of the chair. The question was then put on sustaining the ruling of the chair.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) raised a point of order against the motion to recommit with instructions. The provisions of the instructions contained in the motion to recommit violate the Rules of the House by constituting legislation in an appropriations bill. Sustained by the Chair.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Point of order sustained against the motion to recommit with instructions.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The instructions contained in the motion seek to require that the bill be reported back to the House with an amendment providing for an additional $750 million for state and local formula based grants and high-threat, high-density urban area grants so that no state or urban area receive funding below what it received in 2005 or 2006, whichever is higher, and offset by a 1.8 percent reduction in the tax reduction resulting from the enactment of Public Laws 107-16, 108-27, and 108-311 for taxpayers with income in excess of $1 million for calendar year 2007.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mrs. Lowey moved to recommit with instructions to Appropriations. (consideration: CR H3383-3384; text: CR H3383)
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The House adopted the amendments en gross as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 5441.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: On motion to rise and report Agreed to by voice vote.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved for the Committee of the Whole to rise and report.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of amendments which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3380-3384, H3385)
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 5441 as unfinished business.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: On motion that the Committee rise Agreed to by voice vote.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved that the Committee rise.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Garrett (NJ) amendment, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Price (GA) amendment.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Bishop (NY) amendment.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Kingston amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Kingston demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Kingston amendment.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous special order, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Obey amendment, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Deal amendment, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the King (IA) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Ms. Loretta Sanchez demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the King (IA) amendment, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Matsui amendment, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Culberson amendment.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
action_date: 2006-06-06
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3367-3376)
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 5441 as unfinished business.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: On motion that the Committee rise Agreed to by voice vote.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Mr. Smith (TX) moved that the Committee rise.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of specified amendments which were debated earlier and on which further proceedings were postponed.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR 5/26/2006 H3340-3343)
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 5441 as unfinished business.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: On motion that the Committee rise Agreed to by voice vote.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved that the Committee rise.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Pickering amendment under the five-minute rule
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Tierney amendment under the five-minute rule, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Rogers (KY) enbloc amendments under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Tancredo amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Tancredo demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Tancredo amendment.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Jackson-Lee amendment.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Mica amendment.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Mr. Lungren, Daniel E. raised a point of order against the content of the measure. Mr. Lungren stated that section 536 constituted legislation in an appropriations bill. The Chair sustained the point of order.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Nadler amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Nadler demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Nadler amendment.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Mr. Shuster raised a point of order against the content of the measure. Page 38, line 11, beginning with the comma and extending through funds on line 14. The Chair sustained the point of order.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR 5/26/2006 H3330-3339)
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: ORDER OF PROCEDURE--AMENDMENT UNIVERSE - Mr. Rogers of Kentucky asked unanimous consent that, during further consideration of H.R. 5441 in the Committee of the Whole, pursuant to H. Res. 836, no further amendments to the bill shall be in order except those on a list placed at the desk. Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 5441 as unfinished business.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: On motion that the Committe rise Agreed to by voice vote.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Mr. Rogers (KY) moved that the Committe rise.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Jindal amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Jindal amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Fossella amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Reyes amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Mica amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Reyes amendment under the five-minute rule, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the King (IA) amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Poe amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Marshall amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Marshall demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Marshall amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Marshall amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the DeFazio amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. DeFazio demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the DeFazio amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Markey amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Markey demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Markey amendment under the five-minute rule, pending reservation of a point of order. The reservation of a point of order was later withdrawn.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Pascrell amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Pascrell demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Pascrell amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the DeFazio amendment under the five-minute rule, pending reservation of a point of order.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Lynch amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Lynch demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Lynch amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Markey amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Stupak amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Stupak demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Stupak amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Langevin amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Langevin demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Langevin amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Jackson-Lee amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mrs. Jackson-Lee demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Jackson-Lee (TX) amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the King (IA) amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Brown (OH) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Brown (OH) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Brown (OH) under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Kucinich amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Kucinich demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Kucinich amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with debate on the Sabo amendment under the five-minute rule.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 5441.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 836 and Rule XVIII.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: The Speaker designated the Honorable Paul E. Gillmor to act as Chairman of the Committee.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5441 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be read by paragraph. Bill is open to amendments.
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 836. (consideration: CR H3269-3301, CR 5/26/2006 H3311-3329; text of Title I as reported in House: CR H3290, H3297, CR 5/26/2006 H3320, H3321; text of Title II as reported in House: CR 5/26/2006 H3321-3322, H3323-3324, H3324, H3325, H3326-3328; text of Title III as reported in House: CR 5/26/2006 H3328, H3328-3329, H3331; text of Title IV as reported in House: CR 5/26/2006 H3331, H3332; text of Title V as reported in House: CR 5/26/2006 H3333-3335)
action_date: 2006-05-25
text: Rule H. Res. 836 passed House.
action_date: 2006-05-24
text: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 836 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5441 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be read by paragraph. Bill is open to amendments.
action_date: 2006-05-22
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 264.
action_date: 2006-05-22
text: The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 109-476, by Mr. Rogers (KY).
action_date: 2006-05-22
text: The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 109-476, by Mr. Rogers (KY).
action_date: 2006-05-22
text: Introduced in House

Enacted as: number: 107-295
number: 109-295