Government After Katrina | Related Legislation

Related Legislation

Introduced by: Sens. Collins (R-ME), Lieberman (D-CT), and Salazar (D-CO)
Cosponsors: None

S. 3721 was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 27th.

The Collins/Lieberman bill would:

rename FEMA as the “US Emergency Management Agency, or US-EMA, restore its preparedness authority, and protect it from DHS reorganizations and budget reprogramming (Sen. Collins notes that these measures give the agency “mission and asset protections like those of its DHS siblings, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service”);
make several changes to the Stafford Act, which authorizes federal emergency assistance to states and localities; and,
institute measures to reduce waste, fraud and abuse.

S. 3721 as reported by the Committee includes several human capital provisions. The bill would:

require the creation of a strategic human capital plan addressing skills gaps, competencies, a plan for developing and reshaping the workforce, specific goals, qualifications, etc.;
provide for a GAO review of the US-EMA’s strategic human capital plan;
require appropriate “career paths” for personnel to allow for career progression within the agency;
require training and education opportunities that will allow personnel to qualify for promotions and ensure that personnel serve in career-enhancing positions;
establish a “National Homeland Security Academy” to (1) cultivate leaders, (2) ensure that federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector officials receive “the full range of skills needed to provide robust homeland security,” and (3) provide cross-disciplinary and joint education and training to officials at all levels of government; and,
provide for a “surge capacity force” and authorize training for these personnel who are not normally assigned to the US-EMA;
ensure training in incident management and create a national training and exercise program to keep skills sharp;
require fraud-awareness training for contracting officers and for the relief workforce, and establish a contingency corps of federal contracting officers who can work in the field and ensure that response and recovery spending is better controlled and directed.