PREPARE Act

Promoting Resilience and Efficiency in Preparing for Attacks and Responding to Emergencies Act or the PREPARE Act

This bill revises programs and activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Office of Emergency Communications of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Office of Health Affairs of DHS. Specifically, the bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to:

• revise requirements for and reauthorize the Urban Area Security Initiative,
• require states receiving homeland security grants to submit to FEMA certain threat and risk assessments,
• expand the allowable uses of homeland security grant funds to include enhancing medical preparedness and cybersecurity,
• require FEMA to implement a uniform process for using grant funds to purchase certain equipment or systems,
• update the National Incident Management System at least once every five years,
• expand requirements relating to cyber preparedness,
• require FEMA to establish a major metropolitan area counterterrorism training and exercise grant program,
• revise duties of the Chief Medical Officer of DHS, and
• require DHS to establish a medical countermeasures program.

DHS may establish a Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium to provide training to emergency response providers from rural communities.

FEMA must provide updates on the management of the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility of the Center for Domestic Preparedness.

DHS may not implement the National Preparedness Grant Program or change the location or reporting structure of the Office of Emergency Communications without prior authorization from Congress.

FEMA must: (1) designate a chief management official for the agency, (2) report on efforts to modernize its grants and financial information technology systems, and (3) update its strategic human capital plan in 2018 and the next five succeeding years.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov