[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 153 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13172-S13173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Cochran, and Mr. Salazar):
  S. 2043. A bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to provide grants for mass evacuation 
exercises for urban and suburban areas and the execution of emergency 
response plans, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2043

       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 ``Mass Evacuation Exercise 
     Assistance Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. MASS EVACUATION EXERCISES AND EXECUTION OF EMERGENCY 
                   RESPONSE PLANS.

       Section 201 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) Grants for Mass Evacuation Exercises for Urban and 
     Suburban Areas and the Execution of Emergency Response 
     Plans.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     make grants to States or units of local governments nominated 
     by States to--
       ``(A) establish programs for the development of plans and 
     conduct of exercises for

[[Page S13173]]

     the mass evacuation of persons in urban and suburban areas; 
     and
       ``(B) execute plans developed under subparagraph (A), 
     including the purchase and stockpiling of necessary supplies 
     for emergency routes and shelters.
       ``(2) Conditions.--As a condition for the receipt of 
     assistance under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security may establish any guidelines and standards for the 
     programs that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
       ``(3) Requirements.--To the maximum extent practicable, a 
     program assisted under paragraph (1)(A) shall incorporate the 
     coordinated use of public and private transportation 
     resources in the plans developed and the exercises carried 
     out under the program.
       ``(4) Participation of members of the armed forces.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary of Defense may authorize 
     the participation of members of the Armed Forces and the use 
     of appropriate Department of Defense equipment and materials 
     in an exercise carried out under a program assisted under 
     this subsection.
       ``(B) Reimbursement for participation of guard.--In the 
     event members of the National Guard in State status 
     participate in an exercise carried out under a program 
     assisted under this subsection pursuant to an authorization 
     of the chief executive officer of a State, the Secretary of 
     Defense may, using amounts available to the Department of 
     Defense, reimburse the State for the costs to the State of 
     the participation of such members in such exercise.
       ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $250,000,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
       ``(f) Mass Evacuation Plans.--
       ``(1) Requirement.--Each State or unit of local government 
     receiving a grant under subsection (e)(1) shall, in 
     consultation with relevant local governments, develop and 
     maintain detailed and comprehensive mass evacuation plans for 
     each area in the jurisdiction of the State unit of local 
     government.
       ``(2) Plan development.--In developing the evacuation plans 
     required under paragraph (1), each State or unit of local 
     government shall, to the maximum extent practicable--
       ``(A) assist urban and suburban county and municipal 
     governments in establishing and maintaining mass evacuation 
     plans;
       ``(B) assist hospitals, nursing homes, other institutional 
     adult congregate living facilities, group homes, and other 
     health or residential care facilities that house individuals 
     with special needs in establishing and maintaining mass 
     evacuation plans; and
       ``(C) integrate the plans described in subparagraphs (A) 
     and (B) and coordinate evacuation efforts with the entities 
     described in subparagraphs (A) and (B).
       ``(3) Plan contents.--State, county, and municipal mass 
     evacuation plans shall, to the maximum extent practicable--
       ``(A) establish incident command and decisionmaking 
     processes;
       ``(B) identify primary and alternate escape routes;
       ``(C) establish procedures for converting 2-way traffic to 
     1-way evacuation routes, removing tollgates, ensuring the 
     free movement of emergency vehicles, and deploying traffic 
     management personnel and appropriate traffic signs;
       ``(D) maintain detailed inventories of drivers and public 
     and private vehicles, including buses, vans, and handicap-
     accessible vehicles, that may be pressed into service;
       ``(E) maintain detailed inventories of emergency shelter 
     locations and develop the necessary agreements with 
     neighboring jurisdictions to operate or use the shelters in 
     the event of a mass evacuation;
       ``(F) establish procedures for informing the public of 
     evacuation procedures before and during an evacuation and 
     return procedures after an evacuation, including using 
     television, radio, print, and online media, land-based and 
     mobile phone technology, and vehicles equipped with public 
     address systems;
       ``(G) identify primary and alternate staging locations for 
     emergency responders;
       ``(H) identify gaps in the ability to respond to different 
     types of disasters, including the capacity to handle surges 
     in demand for hospital, emergency medical, coroner, morgue, 
     and mortuary services, quarantines, decontaminations, and 
     criminal investigations;
       ``(I) establish procedures to evacuate individuals with 
     special needs, including individuals who are low-income, 
     disabled, homeless, or elderly or who do not speak English;
       ``(J) establish procedures for evacuating animals that 
     assist the disabled;
       ``(K) establish procedures for protecting property, 
     preventing looting, and accounting for pets; and
       ``(L) ensure the participation of the private and nonprofit 
     sectors.
       ``(4) Updating of plans.--State, county, municipal, and 
     private plans under this subsection shall be updated on a 
     regular basis.
       ``(g) Additional Assistance to States.--The Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall assist States and local governments 
     in developing and maintaining the plans described in 
     subsection (f) by--
       ``(1) establishing and maintaining comprehensive best 
     practices for evacuation planning, training, and execution;
       ``(2) developing assistance teams to travel to States and 
     assist local governments in planning, training, and 
     execution;
       ``(3) developing a training curriculum based on the best 
     practices established under paragraph (1);
       ``(4) providing the training curriculum developed under 
     paragraph (3) to State and local officials;
       ``(5) maintaining a list of qualified government agencies, 
     private sector consultants, and nonprofit organizations that 
     can assist local governments in setting up evacuation plans; 
     and
       ``(6) establishing and maintaining a comprehensive guide 
     for State and local governments regarding--
       ``(A) the types of Federal assistance that are available to 
     respond to emergencies; and
       ``(B) the steps necessary to apply for that assistance.
       ``(h) Report To Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this subsection, the Comptroller General 
     of the United States shall conduct a study detailing--
       ``(1) any Federal laws that pose an obstacle to effective 
     evacuation planning;
       ``(2) any State or local laws that pose an obstacle to 
     effective evacuation planning; and
       ``(3) the political and economic pressures that discourage 
     governors, county executives, mayors, and other officials 
     from--
       ``(A) ordering an evacuation; or
       ``(B) conducting exercises for the mass evacuation of 
     people.''.
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