[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2756 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2756

  To authorize the President to utilize Federal equipment, supplies, 
   facilities, personnel, and other non-monetary resources to assist 
utility companies that contribute to recovery efforts from the effects 
                          of a major disaster.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 2006

  Ms. Collins introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the President to utilize Federal equipment, supplies, 
   facilities, personnel, and other non-monetary resources to assist 
utility companies that contribute to recovery efforts from the effects 
                          of a major disaster.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. UTILITY COMPANY DISASTER ASSISTANCE.

    Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 425. UTILITY COMPANIES.

    ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `qualified utility 
company' means an entity that--
            ``(1) provides--
                    ``(A) telecommunications service;
                    ``(B) electrical power;
                    ``(C) natural gas;
                    ``(D) water and sewer services; or
                    ``(E) any other essential service, as determined by 
                the President;
            ``(2) is a private, for-profit entity; and
            ``(3) is contributing to efforts to recover from the 
        effects of a major disaster.
    ``(b) Authorization.--In a major disaster, the President may 
utilize Federal equipment, supplies, facilities, personnel, and other 
non-monetary resources to assist a qualified utility company, in 
exchange for reasonable compensation.
    ``(c) Compensation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President shall, by regulation, 
        establish a mechanism to set reasonable compensation for the 
        provision of assistance under subsection (b).
            ``(2) Criteria.--The mechanism established under paragraph 
        (1)--
                    ``(A) shall reflect fair market value for the 
                assistance provided under subsection (b) in setting 
                compensation;
                    ``(B) shall have streamlined procedures for 
                determining compensation; and
                    ``(C) is not required to set compensation based on 
                the costs to the Federal Government.''.
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