[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 222 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 222

       To establish an advisory commission to provide advice and 
 recommendations on the creation of an integrated, coordinated Federal 
     policy designed to prepare for and respond to serious drought 
                              emergencies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 28, 1997

 Mr. Domenici introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
           referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To establish an advisory commission to provide advice and 
 recommendations on the creation of an integrated, coordinated Federal 
     policy designed to prepare for and respond to serious drought 
                              emergencies.

    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 National Drought Policy Act of 
1997.''

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    The Congress finds that, although the United States often suffers 
serious economic and environmental losses from severe regional 
droughts, there currently exists no coordinated Federal strategy to 
respond to these emergencies. At the Federal level, even though there 
have historically been frequent, significant droughts of national 
consequences, drought is addressed mainly through special legislation 
and ad hoc action rather than through a systematic and permanent 
process as occurs with other natural disasters. Several Federal 
agencies have a role in drought from predicting, forecasting, and 
monitoring of drought conditions to the provision of planning, 
technical, and financial assistance. There has never been one single 
agency in a lead or coordinating role with regard to drought. As a 
result, the State, local, and tribal governments have had to deal 
individually and separately with each Federal agency involved. 
Therefore, the Congress further finds that the President should appoint 
an advisory commission to provide advice and recommendations on the 
creation of an integrated, coordinated Federal policy designed to 
prepare for and respond to serious drought emergencies.

SEC. 3. COMMISSION.

    (a) The President shall appoint an advisory commission to provide 
recommendations on a national drought policy. The Commission shall 
report its recommendations to the President and to the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs in the Senate and the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight in the House of Representatives within one year 
from the date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) The members of the Commission shall include:
            (1) The Secretary of Agriculture, or his designee, who 
        shall serve as Chairman of the Commission;
            (2) The Secretary of the Interior, or his designee;
            (3) The Secretary of the Army, or his designee;
            (4) The Secretary of the Commerce, or his designee;
            (5) The Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency, or his designee;
            (6) The Administrator of the Small Business Administration, 
        or his designee;
            (7) A person nominated by the National Governors' 
        Association;
            (8) A person nominated by the United States Conference of 
        Mayors; and
            (9) Four persons representative of groups acutely affected 
        by drought emergencies, such as the agricultural production 
        community, the credit community, rural water associations, and 
        Native Americans. These members shall be chosen by the Chairman 
        of the Commission.
    (c) In developing its report, the Commission shall:
            (1) Determine what needs exist on the Federal, State, 
        local, and tribal levels to prepare for and respond to drought 
        emergencies.
            (2) Review all existing Federal laws and programs relating 
        to drought.
            (3) Review those State, local, and tribal laws and programs 
        relating to drought the Commission finds pertinent.
            (4) Determine what gaps exist between the needs of those 
        affected by drought and the Federal laws and programs designed 
        to mitigate the impacts of and respond to drought.
            (5) Make recommendations on how Federal drought laws and 
        programs can be better integrated with ongoing State, local, 
        and tribal programs into a comprehensive national policy to 
        mitigate the impacts of and respond to drought emergencies 
        without diminishing the rights of states to control water 
        through state law. The report shall include a recommendation on 
        whether all Federal drought preparation and response programs 
        should be consolidated under one existing Federal agency and, 
        if so, the report shall identify such agency.
    (d) Any vacancy on the Commission shall be filled in the such 
manner as the original appointment. Members of the Commission shall 
serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel, 
subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the 
performance of their duties. The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide 
all financial, administrative, and staffing requirements for the 
Commission, including office space, furnishings, and equipment. The 
heads of other Federal agencies are authorized, at the request of the 
Commission, to provide such information or personnel, to the extent 
permitted by law and within the limits of available funds, to the 
Commission as may be useful to accomplish the purposes of this section.
    (e) The Commission may hold such hearings, and sit and act at such 
times and places, as it deems advisable. The Commission is authorized 
to use the United States mail in the same manner and upon the same 
conditions as other departments and agencies of the United States.
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