MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT
To the Congress of the United States:
Today I am transmitting Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978. The plan improves Federal emergency management and assistance. By consolidating emergency preparedness, mitigation and response activities, it cuts duplicative administrative costs and strengthens our ability to deal effectively with emergencies.
The plan, together with changes I will make through Executive action, would merge five agencies from the Departments of Defense, Commerce, HUD, and GSA into one new agency.
For the first time, key emergency management and assistance functions would be unified and made directly accountable to the President and Congress. This will reduce pressures for increased costs to serve similar goals.
The present situation has severely hampered Federal support of State and local emergency organizations and resources, which bear the primary responsibility for preserving life and property in times of calamity. This reorganization has been developed in close cooperation with State and local governments.
If approved by the Congress, the plan will establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose Director shall report directly to the President. The National Fire Prevention and Control Administration (in the Department of Commerce), the Federal Insurance Administration (in the Department of Housing and Urban Development), and oversight responsibility for the Federal Emergency Broadcast System (now assigned in the Executive Office of the President) would be transferred to the Agency. The Agency's Director, its Deputy Director, and its five principal program managers would be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
If the plan takes effect, I will assign to the Federal Emergency Management Agency all authorities and functions vested by law in the President and presently delegated to the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (in the Department of Defense). This will include certain engineering and communications support functions for civil defense now assigned to the U.S. Army.
I will also transfer to the new Agency all authorities and functions under the Disaster Relief Acts of 1970 and 1974 [42 U.S.C. 4401 et seq. and 5121 et seq.] now delegated to the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
I will also transfer all Presidential authorities and functions now delegated to the Federal Preparedness Agency in the General Services Administration, including the establishment of policy for the national stockpile. The stockpile disposal function, which is statutorily assigned to the General Services Administration, would remain there. Once these steps have been taken by Executive Order, these three agencies would be abolished.
Several additional transfers of emergency preparedness and mitigation functions would complete the consolidation. These include:
Oversight of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, under Public Law 95-124 [42 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.], now carried out by the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.
Coordination of Federal activities to promote dam safety, carried by the same Office.
Responsibility for assistance to communities in the development of readiness plans for severe weather-related emergencies, including floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Coordination of natural and nuclear disaster warning systems.
Coordination of preparedness and planning to reduce the consequences of major terrorist incidents. This would not alter the present responsibility of the executive branch for reacting to the incidents themselves.
This reorganization rests on several fundamental principles:
First, Federal authorities to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to major civil emergencies should be supervised by one official responsible to the President and given attention by other officials at the highest levels.
The new Agency would be in this position. To increase White House oversight and involvement still further, I shall establish by Executive Order an Emergency Management Committee, to be chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Director. Its membership shall be comprised of the Assistants to the President for National Security, Domestic Affairs and Policy and Intergovernmental Relations, and the Director, Office of Management and Budget. It will advise the President on ways to meet national civil emergencies. It will also oversee and provide guidance on the management of all Federal emergency authorities, advising the President on alternative approaches to improve performance and avoid excessive costs.
Second, an effective civil defense system requires the most efficient use of all available emergency resources. At the same time, civil defense systems, organization, and resources must be prepared to cope with any disasters which threaten our people. The Congress has clearly recognized this principle in recent changes in the civil defense legislation.
The communications, warning, evacuation, and public education processes involved in preparedness for a possible nuclear attack should be developed, tested, and used for major natural and accidental disasters as well. Consolidation of civil defense functions in the new Agency will assure that attack readiness programs are effectively integrated into the preparedness organizations and programs of State and local government, private industry, and volunteer organizations.
While serving an important "all hazards" readiness and response role, civil defense must continue to be fully compatible with and be ready to play an important role in our Nation's overall strategic policy. Accordingly, to maintain a link between our strategic nuclear planning and our nuclear attack preparedness planning, I will make the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council responsible for oversight of civil defense related programs and policies of the new Agency. This will also include appropriate Department of Defense support in areas like program development, technical support, research, communications, intelligence and emergency operations.
Third, whenever possible, emergency responsibilities should be extensions of the regular missions of Federal agencies. The primary task of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be to coordinate and plan for the emergency deployment of resources that have other routine uses. There is no need to develop a separate set of Federal skills and capabilities for those rare occasions when catastrophe occurs.
Fourth, Federal hazard mitigation activities should be closely linked with emergency preparedness and response functions. This reorganization would permit more rational decisions on the relative costs and benefits of alternative approaches to disasters by making the Federal Emergency Management Agency the focal point of all Federal hazard mitigation activities and by combining these with the key Federal preparedness and response functions.
The affected hazard mitigation activities include the Federal Insurance Administration which seeks to reduce flood losses by assisting States and local governments in developing appropriate land uses and building standards and several agencies that presently seek to reduce fire and earthquake losses through research and education.
Most State and local governments have consolidated emergency planning, preparedness and response functions on an "all hazard" basis to take advantage of the similarities in preparing for and responding to the full range of potential emergencies. The Federal Government can and should follow this lead.
Each of the changes set forth in the plan is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 901(a) of title 5 of the United States Code. The plan does not call for abolishing any functions now authorized by law. The provisions in the plan for the appointment and pay of any head or officer of the new agency have been found by me to be necessary.
I do not expect these actions to result in any significant changes in program expenditures for those authorities to be transferred. However, cost savings of between $10 to $15 million annually can be achieved by consolidating headquarters and regional facilities and staffs. The elimination (through attrition) of about 300 jobs is also anticipated.
The emergency planning and response authorities involved in this plan are vitally important to the security and well-being of our Nation. I urge the Congress to approve it.
Jimmy Carter.
The White House, June 19, 1978.
