[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6395 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6395

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of 
 Homeland Security to carry out a program for fellowships and research 
to enhance domestic preparedness and the collective response to acts of 
  terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2008

Mr. Al Green of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of 
 Homeland Security to carry out a program for fellowships and research 
to enhance domestic preparedness and the collective response to acts of 
  terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Department of Homeland Security 
Preparedness, Research, and Education Program Act of 2008'' or the 
``DHS PREP Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. RESILIENCY IN RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FELLOWSHIP AND RESEARCH 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 318. RESILIENCY IN RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FELLOWSHIP AND RESEARCH 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary shall establish a 
program for fellowships and research (in this section referred to as 
the `program') to enhance domestic preparedness and the collective 
response to acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other 
emergencies.
    ``(b) Fellowship Awards.--
            ``(1) In general.--In conducting the program, the Secretary 
        shall award fellowships to individuals--
                    ``(A) to promote research on and the collective 
                response to acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and 
                other emergencies; and
                    ``(B) to provide for the development of best 
                practices for the collective response to and effective 
                recovery from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and 
                other emergencies.
            ``(2) Selection criteria.--Recipients of fellowships under 
        the program shall be individuals who--
                    ``(A) are enrolled in an institution of higher 
                education, giving priority to the selection of 
                individuals enrolled in minority serving institutions;
                    ``(B) have demonstrated an interest through 
                academic work for credit or other means in homeland 
                security or emergency management and response; and
                    ``(C) are geographically diverse.
            ``(3) Purpose.--The purpose of research to be conducted by 
        recipients of fellowships under the program shall be--
                    ``(A) to enhance resiliency and collective response 
                to acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other 
                emergencies;
                    ``(B) to mitigate damages related to such events; 
                and
                    ``(C) to promote expedited recovery from such 
                events.
            ``(4) Gulf coast rebuilding and recovery.--Recipients of 
        fellowships in fiscal year 2009 and as appropriate in 
        subsequent fiscal years shall focus their research on and 
        participate in the rebuilding and recovery of the Gulf Coast 
        region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
    ``(c) Research Results.--
            ``(1) In general.--For each fiscal year in which 
        fellowships are awarded under the program, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
        Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the results of 
        research conducted by recipients of fellowships under the 
        program.
            ``(2) Deadline.--The Secretary shall submit a report under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year on or before the date in the 
        succeeding fiscal year on which the President submits to 
        Congress the budget under section 1105(a) of title 31, United 
        States Code.
    ``(d) Administration.--The Secretary shall carry out this section 
acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) Minority serving institution.--The term `minority 
        serving institution' means a historically Black college or 
        university (as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965), a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in 
        section 502 of such Act), a Tribal College or University (as 
        defined in section 316 of such Act), a Predominantly Black 
        institution (as defined in section 499A(c) of such Act), or a 
        Native American-serving nontribal institution (as defined in 
        section 499A(c) of such Act).
            ``(2) Program.--The term `program' means the program to be 
        established under subsection (a).
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2009 and 2010.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents contained in 
section (1)(b) of such Act (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end of the items relating to title III the following:

``Sec. 318. Resiliency in response and recovery fellowship and research 
                            program.''.
                                 <all>