Nevada Emergency Management and Homeland Security Authorities Summarized
Publication Date: March 2004
Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Author(s):
Research Area: Government
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Abstract:
The primary Nevada emergency management statute, codified in Chapter 414 of the Nevada code, delegates emergency powers and authorities to the governor, emergency management division and political subdivisions. The statute authorizes the creation of local organizations for emergency management in political subdivisions; confers emergency powers upon the governor and executive heads or governing bodies of political subdivisions; assists with rendering of mutual aid among political subdivisions and other states; and authorizes cooperation with the federal government. New legislation enacted in 2003 provides a method for quickly filling congressional vacancies caused by a catastrophe; creates a new commission on homeland security with the ability to hold closed meetings when discussing certain sensitive security issues; and includes provisions for continuity of local government operations. Funding comes primarily from federal assistance and several state emergency and disaster accounts, including contingency and reserve accounts, one of which may be used during fiscal shortfalls to stabilize state government operations.
This report is one of a series that profiles emergency management and homeland security statutory authorities of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each profile identifies the more significant elements of state statutes, generally as codified. Congressional readers may wish to conduct further searches for related provisions using the Internet link presented in the last section of this report. The National Conference of State Legislatures provided primary research assistance in the development of these profiles under contract to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Summary information on all of the profiles is presented in CRS Report RL32287. This report will be updated as developments warrant.