Hurricane Katrina struck Florida and the Gulf Coast states in the last days of August 2005, followed within weeks by Hurricanes Rita and Wilma. These disasters will long be remembered for disrupting families, changing and ending lives, and forcing Americans to rethink vulnerability and risk assumptions. In addition to these impacts, the hurricanes served as catalysts for significant changes in federal policy and the organization of responsible federal entities, notably within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Most of those changes were included in Title VI of the DHS appropriations legislation for FY2007. Among other provisions, Title VI, officially titled the "Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006" (hereafter referred to as the Post-Katrina Act), established new leadership positions and position requirements within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), brought new missions into FEMA and restored some that had previously been removed, and enhanced the agency's authority by directing the FEMA Administrator to undertake a broad range of activities before and after disasters occur. The Post-Katrina Act contains provisions that set out new law, amend the Homeland Security Act (HSA), and modify the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act). In addition to the Post-Katrina Act, Congress enacted five other statutes that have long-term implications for the administration of federal emergency policies. These include: Sections of P.L. 109-347 ( H.R. 4954 ), the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2005, known as the SAFE Port Act; P.L. 109-308 ( H.R. 3858 ), the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006; P.L. 109-63 ( H.R. 3650 ), the Federal Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Act of 2005; P.L. 109-67 ( H.R. 3668 ), the Student Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act; and Sections of P.L. 109-364 ( H.R. 5122 ), the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. Through these enactments the 109 th Congress acted on findings and conclusions reached by House and Senate investigators, White House staff, offices of federal Inspectors General (especially those published by the DHS office) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), among others, who evaluated the consequences of and response to Hurricane Katrina. The investigators and their studies presented findings on major shortcomings, and most urged a reconsideration of existing policies and practices. This CRS report summarizes information on the emergency management modifications adopted by Congress in response to the widespread calls for change. This report summarizes provisions from legislation enacted by the 109 th Congress with regard to federal emergency management authorities but does not cover all legislation enacted in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Information on legislation that provided funds, extended benefits, or authorized temporary waivers of statutory or administrative requirements solely for the victims of Hurricane Katrina or other specific disasters is available elsewhere. The focus here is on far-reaching and potentially permanent change in federal approaches to emergency management. Also, the emergency communications provisions in the Post-Katrina Act (Subtitle D, cited as the "21 st Century Communications Act of 2006") and the bioterrorism legislation enacted in the closing day of the 109 th Congress are not summarized in this report. The content of this report is limited to congressional action. The Bush Administration has taken steps since Hurricane Katrina to revise practices and policies. For example, the framework that guides federal agency activities after a major disaster, the National Response Plan , is under review. Preparation for other hazards, notably a pandemic influenza outbreak, continues. Officials, and their leadership duties, have been reconsidered and replaced or reassigned. This report does not reference such administrative actions. This CRS report is not analytical; its sole purpose is to summarize selected provisions of legislation enacted during the 109 th and the 110 th Congresses. In order to provide some context, the report does include background information on the relevant policy areas. This report comprises ten sections, as follows: the location and status of FEMA and the agency's authorities; the capabilities, responsibilities, and requirements associated with leadership positions; modifications to the statutory provisions relevant to the workforce charged with implementing emergency management policies; changes in national preparedness system components and requirements (those not specifically included in FEMA's mission); new emergency management education and training requirements; amendments to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) that provide additional or modified assistance authority to the President; changes in procedures governing federal contracting and procurement; oversight and review requirements that are expected to reduce fraud and waste practices in emergency response; requirements for the production of reports and guidelines; and miscellaneous provisions. Since 1979, when the agency was first established, FEMA has been charged with carrying out activities that enable the federal, state, and local governments to address a broad spectrum of emergency management functions. In carrying out its mission, FEMA has (1) funded and coordinated emergency preparedness activities, (2) provided and coordinated immediate federal response to save lives and property, (3) funded the reconstruction of damaged homes and infrastructure to help stricken families and communities recover, and (4) supported hazard mitigation activities to ensure that future disasters do not recur, or are less destructive in the future. These four elements of preparedness, response, recovery, and hazard mitigation constitute what has been generally referred to as the comprehensive emergency management (CEM) system. As a small independent agency from 1979 through 2000, FEMA exercised responsibility for federal implementation of the CEM concept. For part of that time, from 1993 through 2000, agency officials also used those concepts to organize the agency. Beginning in the spring of 2001 (before the September terrorist attacks), the Bush Administration reorganized FEMA reportedly to take "the agency in a new direction by refocusing its efforts on civil defense and counterterrorism." After the terrorist attacks, through enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA), the 107 th Congress and the Bush Administration continued the reorganization of the agency by divesting it of certain CEM responsibilities. Of particular relevance to this examination, the HSA transferred emergency preparedness functions related to terrorism from FEMA to the Border and Transportation Security (BTS) Directorate. The reassignment of certain CEM responsibilities, and concomitant organizational changes, continued in 2005, both before and after Hurricane Katrina. Pursuant to the HSA, which authorizes the Secretary to reorganize most parts of the department, Secretary Chertoff initiated what he called the Second Stage Review, or 2SR initiative, in the winter of 2005. After roughly six months, Secretary Chertoff recommended, and Congress approved, the division of responsibility for CEM functions. Since October 1, 2005, CEM functions have been divided between two components of the department—FEMA and the new Preparedness Directorate (PD). The FEMA Director, who also held the title of Under Secretary for Federal Emergency Management, has reported directly to the Secretary and has overseen three divisions (Response, Mitigation, and Recovery), ten regional offices, and numerous other components. Emergency preparedness functions have been vested in PD, which has been headed by an under secretary who has reported to the Secretary. Major components in this directorate have included the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Protection; the Chief Medical Officer of DHS; the Office of Grants and Training; the U.S. Fire Administration; the Office of the National Capital Region Coordination; the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; and the Office of Cyber and Telecommunications, which includes the National Communications System and the National Cybersecurity Division. Of note, however, is the exclusion of one preparedness function from the PD portfolio. FEMA has continued to exercise a limited role in coordinating and guiding the efforts of federal agencies to prepare, maintain, and exercise contingency plans to ensure that essential government functions continue after catastrophes. In examining the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, the 109 th Congress considered this dynamic history of functional and organizational changes. It appears that Congress concluded that while the HSA vested responsibilities of leading and supporting a national, risk-based CEM program in FEMA, the assignment of authorities and the organization of the agency indicated otherwise. Some contended that, as a result of these mission and organizational shifts, FEMA's capabilities deteriorated as functions, resources, and responsibilities moved to other DHS units. Others argued that an emphasis on terrorist-caused incidents within DHS dominated planning and allocation decisions and contributed to FEMA's diminished capabilities for all hazards. These findings led to congressional enactment of significant revisions to FEMA's structure and mission in the Post-Katrina Act, as summarized below. The Post-Katrina Act reorganizes DHS with a reconfigured FEMA (effective March 31, 2007) with consolidated emergency management functions, elevated status within the department, and enhanced organizational autonomy. The organization and many of the authorities and responsibilities assigned to FEMA under the act are summarized in this section of the report, except for authorities specific to preparedness activities. Many of those responsibilities are vested in the President (and are to be carried out by the FEMA Administrator), so they are summarized in the " National Preparedness " section of this report. Under the Post-Katrina Act, the new FEMA will comprise the Preparedness Directorate and all of the functions of the existing FEMA. This includes, for each of the entities, personnel, assets, components, authorities, grant programs, liabilities, and the functions of their respective Under Secretaries. Several entities from the Preparedness Directorate, noted below in the " Other DHS Entities " sub-section, are excepted from transfer to the newly configured FEMA. In addition, the act provides for 10 regional offices with specified responsibilities and features.