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On October 4, 2006, the President signed into law the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act. That Act establishes new leadership positions within the Department, brings additional functions into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), creates and reallocates functions to other components within the Department, and amends the Homeland Security Act, in ways that directly and indirectly affect the organization and functions of various entities within DHS.
In addition, the Department has made certain other organizational changes outside of FEMA which complement the changes mandated by Congress. These changes, taken together, will strengthen the Department's ability to prevent, prepare for, protect against, respond to and recover from all hazard threats.
The changes that the Department will make will be effective on March 31, 2007.
The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act transfers, with the exception of certain offices listed in the Act, functions of the Preparedness Directorate to the new FEMA. This transfer includes:
FEMA will continue to be headed by R. David Paulison, and he will take on the new title of Administrator. The Administrator will be supported by two Deputy Administrators. One will be the Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer. This will be the principal deputy, with overall operational responsibilities at FEMA. Harvey Johnson, currently the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of FEMA, will continue in this role. The other will be a Deputy Administrator for National Preparedness, a new division within FEMA.
National Preparedness will include existing FEMA programs and several legacy Preparedness Directorate programs. It will focus on policy, contingency planning, exercise coordination and evaluation, emergency management training and hazard mitigation with respect to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness (CSEP) and Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REPP). National Preparedness will oversee two divisions: Readiness, Prevention and Planning (RPP), and the National Integration Center (NIC). Readiness, Prevention and Planning will be the central office within FEMA handling preparedness policy and planning functions. The National Integration Center will maintain the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the National Response Plan (NRP), and will coordinate activities with the U.S. Fire Administration.
The Office of Grants and Training will be moved to the new FEMA and renamed the “Office of Grant Programs.” The Training and Systems Support Divisionsof the Office of Grants and Training will be transferred to the National Integration Center (NIC). The Office of the Citizen Corps within the Office of Grants and Training will be transferred into the FEMA Office of Readiness, Prevention and Planning.
Additional headquarters positions created at FEMA by the Post-Katrina Act include a Disability Coordinator, residing in the FEMA Office of Equal Rights, a Small State and Rural Advocate, a Law Enforcement Advisor to the Administrator and a National Advisory Council.
The Act specifically excluded certain elements of the Preparedness Directorate from transfer to FEMA. The legacy Preparedness Directorate will be renamed the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). NPPD will continue to be led by Under Secretary George Foresman. This Directorate will include the following offices:
The Office of Health Affairs (OHA) will be led by the Chief Medical Officer, who will now have the title of Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer. The Office of Health Affairs will have three main divisions:
This page was last reviewed/modified on October 7, 2008.