The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) authorizes the President to issue major disaster, emergency, and fire management declarations, which in turn enable federal agencies to provide assistance to state and local governments overwhelmed by catastrophes. The statute also authorizes the President to determine whether certain types of authorized assistance will be provided and the conditions under which the aid is distributed. The Stafford Act comprises the following titles: Title I: findings, declarations, and definitions; Title II: preparedness and pre-disaster mitigation authority; Title III: administrative provisions; Title IV: major disaster assistance; Title V: emergency assistance; Title VI: emergency preparedness (previously the Civil Defense Act of 1950); Title VII: miscellaneous provisions. Titles IV and V identify the types of assistance that may be provided, and, in some circumstances, the limitations on the aid. Most of the presidential authority set out in Titles IV and V in the statute, with the exception of the authority to issue declarations, has been delegated to administration officials—currently the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—through executive orders. Following the investigation into the response to Hurricane Katrina, Congress also authorized the Administrator to provide federal leadership before and after catastrophes, including "assisting the President in carrying out the functions" of the Stafford Act. Stafford Act definitions establish eligibility for assistance and the conditions that may be catalysts for presidential action. The definition of "major disaster" is relatively restrictive ─ "any natural catastrophe" including storms, earth movements and high water, and "regardless of cause, any fire, flood or explosion." Presidents Bush and Obama issued 55 major disaster declarations in calendar year 2009. By comparison, the definition of "emergency" is broad, authorizing the President to determine "any occasion or instance" when federal aid is needed by state and local governments to save lives and property or to address the threat of a catastrophe. In calendar year 2009, President Bush issued one emergency declaration for the presidential inauguration in the District of Columbia; President Obama issued six others in the remainder of the year, five for winter storms and one for a refinery explosion in Puerto Rico. The statute also authorizes the President to provide fire suppression assistance to prevent a forest or grassland fire from becoming a major disaster. President Obama issued 48 fire management declarations in 2009; President Bush issued one before leaving office, for a yearly total of 49 such declarations. Stafford Act assistance funding derives from appropriations made to the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), administered by DHS. Federal assistance supported by the DRF, and authorized in Title IV (for major disasters) or Title V (for emergencies) provides grants for mass care for disaster survivors, the restoration of damaged or destroyed facilities, amelioration of the impact of future disasters, clearance of debris, and aid for those with uninsured critical needs. The statute also authorizes loans to communities that suffer significant revenue losses as a result of major disasters. In addition, the statute authorizes unemployment assistance directly related to the event (administered by the Department of Labor) and allows federal agency heads to provide technical assistance, personnel, equipment and other resources to help state and local response and recovery efforts. While the President may exercise discretion under authority of the statute, that authority is circumscribed by the act's administrative provisions. Federal aid cannot duplicate that provided by other sources. Federal agency heads may waive administrative, but not statutory, requirements to expedite assistance. A federal coordinating officer, appointed by the President (or the designee), ensures that federal and non-federal assistance provided to major disaster or emergency areas is coordinated. Applicants for aid must purchase appropriate levels of insurance. Title III of the statute sets out these and other administrative requirements and limitations. The Stafford Act consists of the text of the statute enacted by Congress in 1974 and that of a series of amendments approved over the past 35 years that have added administrative requirements, enhanced the types of assistance that may be provided, expanded eligibility to certain non-profit organizations, and coordinated Stafford assistance with other federal authorities. The act maintains a two-part orientation first established in a 1950 statute (superseded by the 1974 legislation), as follows: (1) federal assistance supplements state and local relief and recovery efforts and, (2) is triggered only by a presidential declaration that is preceded by a gubernatorial request for assistance. The scope of the statute has expanded considerably over the decades to provide a wide range of grants for the needs of individuals, families, certain community organizations, and state and local government operations. The congressional investigation initiated to address questions about the response to Hurricane Katrina, which struck in August 2005, culminated in enactment of amendments that established new levels of assistance, but perhaps more importantly, addressed administrative concerns. The following section highlights the more significant amendments adopted in 2006. Through the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Title VI, P.L. 109-295 ) and, to a lesser extent, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2005, known as the SAFE Port Act ( P.L. 109-347 ), Congress expanded the authority of FEMA to provide assistance and imposed requirements on federal officials to ensure that effective pre-disaster preparation actions would be taken. Assistance for service animals and pets, pre-disaster authority, evacuation planning, and individual case management are some of the enhancements included in these amendments. While augmenting federal assistance authorities such as these, the amendments maintained state, local, and individual emergency management responsibility and accountability. In short, the Post-Katrina Act expanded the President's federal disaster assistance authority, but left the basic tenets of the Stafford Act (such as Presidential discretion, need for state requests, most restrictions on eligibility) unchanged. The changes to the Stafford Act enacted by Congress in 2006 may be summarized as follows: Expedited federal assistance. The President is now authorized to support precautionary evacuation measures, accelerate federal emergency response and recovery aid, and provide expedited federal assistance (coordinated with the state to the extent possible) in the absence of a specific request from state officials. Aid to individuals with special needs. Disabled individuals now receive federal housing assistance on sites that meet their needs, "whenever practicable," with the inclusion in the Stafford Act of the definition of "individual with a disability" from the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Also, durable medical equipment, such as that needed by the disabled, may be provided, and the FEMA Administrator must develop guidelines concerning the accommodation of individuals with disabilities with regard to emergency facilities and equipment. The amendments also prohibit discrimination toward the disabled, those with special needs, and those with limited proficiency in the English language. To assist the latter segment of disaster victims, the FEMA Administrator must ensure that information is made available to those with limited English proficiency, and must develop and maintain information on model language assistance as well as best practices for the state and local governments working with these individuals. Also, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 authorizes grants to states for the improvement of emergency shelters to accommodate pets and service animals. Expanded assistance to disaster victims. The President is authorized to provide transportation assistance to those displaced from their residences, including aid needed to move among alternative temporary shelters or to return to their original residence. The President may also provide case management services to state, local, or qualified private organizations that provide assistance to victims. Housing assistance. Seven provisions in the 2006 amendments expanded the scope of federal housing assistance to be made available to victims. First, in order to be considered eligible for housing assistance, victims of major disasters or emergencies who are disabled must be unable to access or inhabit their homes. Prior to enactment of the 2006 amendments the statute did not differentiate disabled access from that experienced by other disaster victims. Second, alternative housing sites provided to victims by the federal government must meet physical accessibility requirements. Third, the amendments eliminated the statutory ceilings on financial aid to be provided for housing repair and replacement, but did not eliminate the overall cap of $25,000 that may be provided to each individual or household under Section 408. Fourth, the amendments authorize the President to provide semi-permanent housing where no alternatives exist. Fifth, the statute includes as newly eligible housing-assistance costs both utility costs (excluding telephone service) and security deposits. Sixth, the disposal of temporary housing units (generally referred to as "FEMA trailers") is to be coordinated with the Department of the Interior or other federal agencies to facilitate the transfer of the units to tribal governments. Seventh, the amendments established a demonstration project, the Individuals and Households Pilot Program, to increase the use of existing rental housing to provide temporary housing for victims of major disasters. Through the pilot program, which expired December 31, 2008, the Administrator was to provide for the repair and improvement of multi-family rental properties in disaster areas to increase the rental stock available to disaster victims in the immediate area. Public assistance (PA) to state and local governments. State or local governments or eligible private nonprofit-facility owners may apply for federal assistance to build a new facility in a different location if all parties determine that a damaged facility should not be repaired or replaced. Such assistance, known as the "in-lieu" contribution (a grant made in-lieu of replacing or repairing a facility that existed before the disaster), has been authorized since 1974 and consists of PA grants based on the federal estimate of the cost of repair or replacement. The 2006 amendment in the SAFE Ports Act deleted the clause that authorized an in-lieu grant for 90% of the federal share of the estimate of repairing or replacing the facility solely in areas with unstable soil. Now all stricken state and local governments, not just those in areas marked by unstable soil, may apply for a 90% in-lieu grant.