Private Sector Preparedness Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and implement a program to enhance private sector preparedness for emergencies and disasters, including acts of terrorism.
Directs the Secretary to develop guidance and identify best practices for private sector action in: (1) identifying hazards and assessing and mitigating risks and impacts; (2) managing emergency preparedness and response resources; (3) developing mutual aid agreements; (4) developing and maintaining emergency preparedness and response plans, including operational procedures, and communications and warning systems; (5) developing and conducting training and exercises to support and implement such plans and procedures; and (6) developing procedures to respond to requests for information from the media and the public.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) support the development of, promulgate, and regularly update national voluntary consensus standards for private sector emergency preparedness; and (2) coordinate the program with and utilize voluntary standards for disaster and emergency management and business continuity programs developed by the American National Standards Institute and the National Fire Protection Association, and any existing private sector emergency preparedness guidance or best practices developed by industry organizations.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4830 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4830
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of
Homeland Security to develop and implement a program to enhance private
sector preparedness for emergencies and disasters.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 14, 2004
Mr. Turner of Texas (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr.
Dicks, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Etheridge, and Mr.
Langevin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of
Homeland Security to develop and implement a program to enhance private
sector preparedness for emergencies and disasters.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Private Sector Preparedness Act of
2004''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Private sector organizations own 85 percent of the
Nation's infrastructure facilities and employ the vast majority
of the Nation's employees. The resources of these
organizations, including property and personnel, can be
coordinated in an emergency situation more efficiently than the
population in general.
(2) Private sector organizations are often unprepared for
emergencies, whether resulting from a natural disaster or a
terrorist incident. Although there have been exemplary efforts
by select private sector organizations, emergency preparedness
is not generally a priority for these organizations.
(3) The hearings of and testimony before the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
demonstrated that the lack of emergency preparedness and
evacuation planning, training, and exercises by private sector
organizations may have contributed to additional casualties at
the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
(4) Although there may be an interest in promoting
emergency preparedness within private sector organizations,
there remains uncertainty and confusion as to the definition of
appropriate and adequate preparedness and what actions these
organizations should take.
(5) Identifying standards and best practices is necessary
to promote emergency preparedness by private sector
organizations, in addition to educational activities to
effectively communicate such standards and best practices.
SEC. 3. PRIVATE SECTOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Preparedness Program.--Title V of the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``SEC. 510. PRIVATE SECTOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM.
``(a) Preparedness Program.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall develop and implement
a program to enhance private sector preparedness for emergencies and
disasters, including emergencies resulting from acts of terrorism.
``(b) Program Elements.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary
shall develop guidance and identify best practices to assist or foster
action by the private sector in--
``(1) identifying hazards and assessing risks and impacts;
``(2) mitigating the impacts of a wide variety of hazards,
including weapons of mass destruction;
``(3) managing necessary emergency preparedness and
response resources;
``(4) developing mutual aid agreements;
``(5) developing and maintaining emergency preparedness and
response plans, as well as associated operational procedures;
``(6) developing and maintaining communications and warning
systems;
``(7) developing and conducting training and exercises to
support and evaluate emergency preparedness and response plans
and operational procedures;
``(8) developing and conducting training programs for
security guards to implement emergency preparedness and
response plans and operations procedures; and
``(9) developing procedures to respond to external requests
for information from the media and the public.
``(c) Standards.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall support the
development of, promulgate, and regularly update as necessary
national voluntary consensus standards for private sector
emergency preparedness that will enable private sector
organizations to achieve optimal levels of emergency
preparedness as soon as practicable. Such standards include the
National Fire Protection Association 1600 Standard on Disaster/
Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs.
``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall carry out
paragraph (1) in consultation with the Under Secretary for
Emergency Preparedness and Response, the Under Secretary for
Science and Technology, the Under Secretary for Information
Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, and the Special
Assistant to the Secretary for the Private Sector.
``(d) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the program
with, and utilize to the maximum extent practicable--
``(1) the voluntary standards for disaster and emergency
management and business continuity programs developed by the
American National Standards Institute and the National Fire
Protection Association; and
``(2) any existing private sector emergency preparedness
guidance or best practices developed by private sector industry
associations or other organizations.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents contained in
section 1(b) of such Act (116 Stat. 2135) is amended by inserting after
the item relating to section 509 the following:
``Sec. 510. Private sector emergency preparedness program.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
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