6 U.S.C. § 319 — National Integration Center

This section creates the National Integration Center and sets rules for the national incident command structure. (a) The Center exists. The Agency has a National Integration Center. (b) What the Center does. (1) Through the National Integration Center, and working with other federal departments and agencies and with the National Advisory Council, the Administrator must keep the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and any plan that replaces them under ongoing management and maintenance. (2) Specifically, the Center must periodically review and, where needed, revise the National Incident Management System and National Response Plan. This includes: (A) working with the Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service to build a better process for using volunteers and donations; (B) improving how federal, state, local, and tribal resources are used, and making sure emergency response providers are used effectively at emergency scenes; and (C) revising the Catastrophic Incident Annex, finishing and releasing the Catastrophic Incident Supplement to the National Response Plan, and making sure both actually address what's needed to respond to a catastrophic incident. (c) Command structure during incidents. (1) The Secretary, acting through the Administrator, must make sure the National Response Plan lays out a clear chain of command to lead and coordinate the federal response to any natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster. That chain of command must: give the Administrator a role consistent with being the President's, the Homeland Security Council's, and the Secretary's principal emergency management adviser under section 313(c)(4), and consistent with the Administrator's responsibilities under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006; and give the Federal Coordinating Officer a role consistent with that officer's responsibilities under section 5143(b) of title 42. (2) Neither the Principal Federal Official (or whoever succeeds that role) nor the Director of a Joint Task Force established under section 348 of this title may direct or replace the incident command structure set up at the scene, or have authority to direct the Senior Federal Law Enforcement Official, the Federal Coordinating Officer, or other federal and state officials.