collaboration, cooperation, and coordination of different types of agencies and governmental levels

VerDate jul 14 2003 01:13 Dec 23, 2003 Jkt 203250 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\PRESDOCS\P51DET4.019 P51DET4

1822 Dec. 17 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2003

any Presidential directives issued prior to this directive to the extent of any inconsistency. Moreover, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs shall jointly submit for my consideration a Presi- dential directive to make changes in Presi- dential directives issued prior to this date that conform such directives to this directive.

ments as defined by 5 U.S.C. 104(1); Government corporations as defined by 5 U.S.C. 103(1); and the United States Postal Service.

(c) The term ‘‘Federal preparedness as- sistance’’ means Federal department and agency grants, cooperative agree- ments, loans, loan guarantees, train- ing, and/or technical assistance pro-

(38) This directive is intended only to im- vided to State and local governments prove the internal management of the execu- and the private sector to prevent, pre- tive branch of the Federal Government, and pare for, respond to, and recover from it is not intended to, and does not, create terrorist attacks, major disasters, and any right or benefit, substantive or proce- other emergencies. Unless noted oth- dural, enforceable at law or in equity, against erwise, the term ‘‘assistance’’ will the United States, its departments, agencies, refer to Federal assistance programs. or other entities, its officers or employees, (d) The term ‘‘first responder’’ refers to or any other person. those individuals who in the early

George W. Bush stages of an incident are responsible for the protection and preservation of life, property, evidence, and the envi-

Directive on National Preparedness ronment, including emergency re- December 17, 2003 sponse providers as defined in section

2 of the Homeland Security Act of Homeland Security Presidential Directive/ 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101), as well as emer- HSPD–8 gency management, public health,

clinical care, public works, and other Subject: National Preparedness skilled support personnel (such as

equipment operators) that provide Purpose immediate support services during

(1) This directive establishes policies to strengthen the preparedness of the United States to prevent and respond to threatened or actual domestic terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies by requiring a national domestic all-hazards preparedness goal, establishing mechanisms for improved delivery of Federal preparedness assistance to State and local governments, and outlining actions to strengthen preparedness capabili- ties of Federal, State, and local entities.

prevention, response, and recovery operations.

(e) The terms ‘‘major disaster’’ and ‘‘emergency’’ have the meanings given in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer- gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).

(f) The term ‘‘major events’’ refers to do- mestic terrorist attacks, major disas- ters, and other emergencies.

(g) The term ‘‘national homeland security Definitions preparedness-related exercises’’ re-

(2) For the purposes of this directive: fers to homeland security-related ex- (a) The term ‘‘all-hazards preparedness’’

refers to preparedness for domestic terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.

ercises that train and test national de- cision makers and utilize resources of multiple Federal departments and agencies. Such exercises may involve

(b) The term ‘‘Federal departments and agencies’’ means those executive de- partments enumerated in 5 U.S.C. 101, and the Department of Home- land Security; independent establish-

State and local first responders when appropriate. Such exercises do not in- clude those exercises conducted sole- ly within a single Federal department or agency.

Source: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (December 22, 2003), v.39 n.51, p.1822-1826 http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html

VerDate jul 14 2003 01:13 Dec 23, 2003 Jkt 203250 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\PRESDOCS\P51DET4.019 P51DET4

1823 Administration of George W. Bush, 2003 / Dec. 17

(h) The term ‘‘preparedness’’ refers to the existence of plans, procedures, policies, training, and equipment nec- essary at the Federal, State, and local level to maximize the ability to pre- vent, respond to, and recover from major events. The term ‘‘readiness’’ is used interchangeably with pre- paredness.

(i) The term ‘‘prevention’’ refers to ac- tivities undertaken by the first re- sponder community during the early stages of an incident to reduce the likelihood or consequences of threat- ened or actual terrorist attacks. More general and broader efforts to deter, disrupt, or thwart terrorism are not addressed in this directive.

(j) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec- retary of Homeland Security.

(k) The terms ‘‘State,’’ and ‘‘local govern- ment,’’ when used in a geographical sense, have the same meanings given to those terms in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101).

Relationship to HSPD–5 (3) This directive is a companion to

HSPD–5, which identifies steps for improved coordination in response to incidents. This directive describes the way Federal depart- ments and agencies will prepare for such a response, including prevention activities dur- ing the early stages of a terrorism incident.

Development of a National Preparedness Goal

(4) The Secretary is the principal Federal official for coordinating the implementation of all-hazards preparedness in the United States. In cooperation with other Federal de- partments and agencies, the Secretary co- ordinates the preparedness of Federal re- sponse assets, and the support for, and as- sessment of, the preparedness of State and local first responders.

(5) To help ensure the preparedness of the Nation to prevent, respond to, and recover from threatened and actual domestic ter- rorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies, the Secretary, in coordination with the heads of other appropriate Federal

departments and agencies and in consulta- tion with State and local governments, shall develop a national domestic all-hazards pre- paredness goal. Federal departments and agencies will work to achieve this goal by:

(a) providing for effective, efficient, and timely delivery of Federal prepared- ness assistance to State and local gov- ernments; and

(b) supporting efforts to ensure first re- sponders are prepared to respond to major events, especially prevention of and response to threatened terrorist attacks.

(6) The national preparedness goal will es- tablish measurable readiness priorities and targets that appropriately balance the poten- tial threat and magnitude of terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies with the resources required to prevent, respond to, and recover from them. It will also in- clude readiness metrics and elements that support the national preparedness goal in- cluding standards for preparedness assess- ments and strategies, and a system for assess- ing the Nation’s overall preparedness to re- spond to major events, especially those in- volving acts of terrorism.

(7) The Secretary will submit the national preparedness goal to me through the Home- land Security Council (HSC) for review and approval prior to, or concurrently with, the Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2006 budget submission to the Office of Management and Budget.

Federal Preparedness Assistance

(8) The Secretary, in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies that provide assistance for first responder preparedness, will establish a single point of access to Federal preparedness assistance program information within 60 days of the issuance of this directive. The Secretary will submit to me through the HSC rec- ommendations of specific Federal depart- ment and agency programs to be part of the coordinated approach. All Federal depart- ments and agencies will cooperate with this

Source: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (December 22, 2003), v.39 n.51, p.1822-1826 http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html

VerDate jul 14 2003 01:13 Dec 23, 2003 Jkt 203250 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\PRESDOCS\P51DET4.019 P51DET4

1824 Dec. 17 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2003

effort. Agencies will continue to issue finan- cial assistance awards consistent with applica- ble laws and regulations and will ensure that program announcements, solicitations, appli- cation instructions, and other guidance docu- ments are consistent with other Federal pre- paredness programs to the extent possible. Full implementation of a closely coordinated interagency grant process will be completed by September 30, 2005.

(9) To the extent permitted by law, the primary mechanism for delivery of Federal preparedness assistance will be awards to the States. Awards will be delivered in a form that allows the recipients to apply the assist- ance to the highest priority preparedness re- quirements at the appropriate level of gov- ernment. To the extent permitted by law, Federal preparedness assistance will be predicated on adoption of Statewide com- prehensive all-hazards preparedness strate- gies. The strategies should be consistent with the national preparedness goal, should assess the most effective ways to enhance prepared- ness, should address areas facing higher risk, especially to terrorism, and should also ad- dress local government concerns and Citizen Corps efforts. The Secretary, in coordination with the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, will review and approve strategies submitted by the States. To the extent permitted by law, adoption of approved Statewide strategies will be a re- quirement for receiving Federal prepared- ness assistance at all levels of government by September 30, 2005.

(10) In making allocations of Federal pre- paredness assistance to the States, the Sec- retary, the Attorney General, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Vet- erans Affairs, the Administrator of the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies that provide assistance for first responder preparedness will base those allocations on assessments of population concentrations, critical infrastructures, and other significant risk factors, particularly terrorism threats, to the extent permitted by law.

(11) Federal preparedness assistance will support State and local entities’ efforts in- cluding planning, training, exercises, inter-

operability, and equipment acquisition for major events as well as capacity building for prevention activities such as information gathering, detection, deterrence, and col- laboration related to terrorist attacks. Such assistance is not primarily intended to sup- port existing capacity to address normal local first responder operations, but to build ca- pacity to address major events, especially ter- rorism.

(12) The Attorney General, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Vet- erans Affairs, the Administrator of the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies that provide assistance for first responder preparedness shall coordinate with the Sec- retary to ensure that such assistance supports and is consistent with the national prepared- ness goal.

(13) Federal departments and agencies will develop appropriate mechanisms to en- sure rapid obligation and disbursement of funds from their programs to the States, from States to the local community level, and from local entities to the end users to derive max- imum benefit from the assistance provided. Federal departments and agencies will report annually to the Secretary on the obligation, expenditure status, and the use of funds asso- ciated with Federal preparedness assistance programs.

Equipment

(14) The Secretary, in coordination with State and local officials, first responder orga- nizations, the private sector and other Fed- eral civilian departments and agencies, shall establish and implement streamlined proce- dures for the ongoing development and adoption of appropriate first responder equipment standards that support nation- wide interoperability and other capabilities consistent with the national preparedness goal, including the safety and health of first responders.

(15) To the extent permitted by law, equipment purchased through Federal pre- paredness assistance for first responders shall conform to equipment standards in place at

Source: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (December 22, 2003), v.39 n.51, p.1822-1826 http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html

VerDate jul 14 2003 01:13 Dec 23, 2003 Jkt 203250 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\PRESDOCS\P51DET4.019 P51DET4

1825 Administration of George W. Bush, 2003 / Dec. 17

time of purchase. Other Federal depart- ments and agencies that support the pur- chase of first responder equipment will co- ordinate their programs with the Depart- ment of Homeland Security and conform to the same standards.

(16) The Secretary, in coordination with other appropriate Federal departments and agencies and in consultation with State and local governments, will develop plans to identify and address national first responder equipment research and development needs based upon assessments of current and fu- ture threats. Other Federal departments and agencies that support preparedness research and development activities shall coordinate their efforts with the Department of Home- land Security and ensure they support the national preparedness goal.

Training and Exercises (17) The Secretary, in coordination with

the Secretary of HHS, the Attorney General, and other appropriate Federal departments and agencies and in consultation with State and local governments, shall establish and maintain a comprehensive training program to meet the national preparedness goal. The program will identify standards and maximize the effectiveness of existing Federal pro- grams and financial assistance and include training for the Nation’s first responders, of- ficials, and others with major event prepared- ness, prevention, response, and recovery roles. Federal departments and agencies shall include private organizations in the ac- creditation and delivery of preparedness training as appropriate and to the extent per- mitted by law.

(18) The Secretary, in coordination with other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall establish a national program and a multi-year planning system to conduct homeland security preparedness-related ex- ercises that reinforces identified training standards, provides for evaluation of readi- ness, and supports the national preparedness goal. The establishment and maintenance of the program will be conducted in maximum collaboration with State and local govern- ments and appropriate private sector entities. All Federal departments and agencies that conduct national homeland security pre-

paredness-related exercises shall participate in a collaborative, interagency process to des- ignate such exercises on a consensus basis and create a master exercise calendar. The Secretary will ensure that exercises included in the calendar support the national pre- paredness goal. At the time of designation, Federal departments and agencies will iden- tify their level of participation in national homeland security preparedness-related ex- ercises. The Secretary will develop a multi- year national homeland security prepared- ness-related exercise plan and submit the plan to me through the HSC for review and approval.

(19) The Secretary shall develop and main- tain a system to collect, analyze, and dissemi- nate lessons learned, best practices, and in- formation from exercises, training events, re- search, and other sources, including actual incidents, and establish procedures to im- prove national preparedness to prevent, re- spond to, and recover from major events. The Secretary, in coordination with other Federal departments and agencies and State and local governments, will identify relevant classes of homeland-security related informa- tion and appropriate means of transmission for the information to be included in the sys- tem. Federal departments and agencies are directed, and State and local governments are requested, to provide this information to the Secretary to the extent permitted by law.

Federal Department and Agency Preparedness

(20) The head of each Federal department or agency shall undertake actions to support the national preparedness goal, including adoption of quantifiable performance meas- urements in the areas of training, planning, equipment, and exercises for Federal inci- dent management and asset preparedness, to the extent permitted by law. Specialized Fed- eral assets such as teams, stockpiles, and caches shall be maintained at levels con- sistent with the national preparedness goal and be available for response activities as set forth in the National Response Plan, other appropriate operational documents, and ap- plicable authorities or guidance. Relevant Federal regulatory requirements should be consistent with the national preparedness

Source: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (December 22, 2003), v.39 n.51, p.1822-1826 http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html

VerDate jul 14 2003 01:13 Dec 23, 2003 Jkt 203250 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\PRESDOCS\P51DET4.019 P51DET4

1826 Dec. 17 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2003

goal. Nothing in this directive shall limit the authority of the Secretary of Defense with regard to the command and control, training, planning, equipment, exercises, or employ- ment of Department of Defense forces, or the allocation of Department of Defense re- sources.

(21) The Secretary, in coordination with other appropriate Federal civilian depart- ments and agencies, shall develop and main- tain a Federal response capability inventory that includes the performance parameters of the capability, the timeframe within which the capability can be brought to bear on an incident, and the readiness of such capability to respond to domestic incidents. The De- partment of Defense will provide to the Sec- retary information describing the organiza- tions and functions within the Department of Defense that may be utilized to provide support to civil authorities during a domestic crisis.

Citizen Participation (22) The Secretary shall work with other

appropriate Federal departments and agen- cies as well as State and local governments and the private sector to encourage active citizen participation and involvement in pre- paredness efforts. The Secretary shall peri- odically review and identify the best commu- nity practices for integrating private citizen capabilities into local preparedness efforts.

Public Communication (23) The Secretary, in consultation with

other Federal departments and agencies, State and local governments, and non-gov- ernmental organizations, shall develop a comprehensive plan to provide accurate and timely preparedness information to public citizens, first responders, units of govern- ment, the private sector, and other interested parties and mechanisms for coordination at all levels of government.

Assessment and Evaluation (24) The Secretary shall provide to me

through the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security an annual status report of the Nation’s level of preparedness, includ- ing State capabilities, the readiness of Fed- eral civil response assets, the utilization of

mutual aid, and an assessment of how the Federal first responder preparedness assist- ance programs support the national pre- paredness goal. The first report will be pro- vided within 1 year of establishment of the national preparedness goal.

(25) Nothing in this directive alters, or im- pedes the ability to carry out, the authorities of the Federal departments and agencies to perform their responsibilities under law and consistent with applicable legal authorities and presidential guidance.

(26) Actions pertaining to the funding and administration of financial assistance and all other activities, efforts, and policies in this directive shall be executed in accordance with law. To the extent permitted by law, these policies will be established and carried out in consultation with State and local gov- ernments.

(27) This directive is intended only to im- prove the internal management of the execu- tive branch of the Federal Government, and it is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or proce- dural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

George W. Bush

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Providing Funds for the Department of the Treasury’s Counterterrorism Fund

December 17, 2003

Dear Mr. Speaker: In accordance with provisions of the Con-

solidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106–554), I hereby request and make available $7 million for the Department of the Treasury’s Counterterrorism Fund. I hereby designate this $7 million as an emer- gency requirement pursuant to Public Law 106–554.

These funds would support Internal Rev- enue Service Criminal Investigation Service Agents in overseas and domestic counterterrorism efforts.

Source: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (December 22, 2003), v.39 n.51, p.1822-1826 http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html