Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/1440

 PUBLIC LAW 109–295—OCT. 4, 2006

120 STAT. 1409

preparedness system established under section 644 of the PostKatrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006; and ‘‘(11) any other duties as assigned by the Administrator. ‘‘SEC. 514. DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY OFFICIALS.

6 USC 321c.

‘‘(a) DEPUTY ADMINISTRATORS.—The President may appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, not more than 4 Deputy Administrators to assist the Administrator in carrying out this title. ‘‘(b) CYBERSECURITY AND COMMUNICATIONS.—There is in the Department an Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications. ‘‘(c) UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION.—The Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall have a rank equivalent to an assistant secretary of the Department. ‘‘SEC. 515. NATIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER.

6 USC 321d.

‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘situational awareness’ means information gathered from a variety of sources that, when communicated to emergency managers and decision makers, can form the basis for incident management decisionmaking. ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Operations Center is the principal operations center for the Department and shall— ‘‘(1) provide situational awareness and a common operating picture for the entire Federal Government, and for State, local, and tribal governments as appropriate, in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster; and ‘‘(2) ensure that critical terrorism and disaster-related information reaches government decision-makers. ‘‘SEC. 516. CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.

6 USC 321e.

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is in the Department a Chief Medical Officer, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. ‘‘(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The individual appointed as Chief Medical Officer shall possess a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of medicine and public health. ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Chief Medical Officer shall have the primary responsibility within the Department for medical issues related to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other manmade disasters, including— ‘‘(1) serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary and the Administrator on medical and public health issues; ‘‘(2) coordinating the biodefense activities of the Department; ‘‘(3) ensuring internal and external coordination of all medical preparedness and response activities of the Department, including training, exercises, and equipment support; ‘‘(4) serving as the Department’s primary point of contact with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other Federal departments or agencies, on medical and public health issues; ‘‘(5) serving as the Department’s primary point of contact for State, local, and tribal governments, the medical community, and others within and outside the Department, with respect to medical and public health matters;

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