An Executive Order released by the White House, March 21, outlines the structure and composition of the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council (PHSAC). The PHSAC will include 21 members appointed by the president. Representatives from state and local governments are among those expected to be appointed.
The Executive Order also establishes four Senior Advisory Committees (SAC), which, as their name implies, will provide counsel to the PHSAC. The committees would represent four constituencies: 1) state and local officials; 2) academia and policy research; 3) private sector; and 4) emergency services, law enforcement, and public health and hospitals.
Gov. Tom Ridge, Office of Homeland Security director, will appoint SAC members, set at 17 maximum for each committee. “We’re hopeful that things will be up and running in a matter of weeks,” said Duncan Campbell, intergovernmental affairs director for the Office of Homeland Security.
NACo Executive Director Larry Naake applauded the president’s order.
“We commend the president and Gov. Ridge for appointing an advisory council to the Office of Homeland Security. NACo had asked the governor to appoint such a council during his meeting with our Homeland Security Task Force in October.
“We are happy to see there’s a place at the table for local governments, and we are looking forward to working with Gov. Ridge, and offer him our 110 percent cooperation in the long struggle ahead.”
PHSAC functions
According to the White House, the advisory council will, through Ridge,
- advise the president on developing and coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks
- recommend to the president ways to improve coordination, cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local officials, and private entities, as well as provide a means to collect scholarly research, technological advice, and information about organizational management practices.
- advise the president regarding the feasibility of implementing specific measures to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist threats or attacks within the United States
- examine, and advise the president on, the effectiveness of the implementation of specific strategies to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist threats or attacks within the United States, and
- report periodically, as appropriate, on matters within the scope of the PHSAC’s functions.
