The department shall:

A. coordinate the homeland security and emergency management efforts of all state and local government agencies, as well as enlist cooperation from private entities such as health care providers;

B. apply for and accept federal funds for homeland security, administer the funds and develop criteria to allocate grants to local governments, tribes, state agencies and other qualified entities;

C. act as liaison between federal, state and local agencies to effect the improved sharing of counterterrorism intelligence;

D. provide information to the general public and to private businesses that is essential to ensuring their safety and security and provide the governor with timely information relating to emergencies, disasters and acts of terrorism or terrorist threats;

E. establish security standards for state facilities and for protection of their occupants and develop plans for the continuity of state government operations in the event of a threat or act of terrorism or other natural or man-made disaster;

F. identify the state's critical infrastructures and assist public and private entities with developing plans and procedures designed to implement the protective actions necessary to continue operations;

G. coordinate state agency and local government plans for prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on an all-hazards approach;

H. coordinate law enforcement counterterrorism prevention, preparedness and response training on a statewide basis, including training for emergency responders, government officials, health care providers and others as appropriate;

I. work with emergency response and emergency management programs and provide assistance in developing and conducting terrorism response exercises for emergency responders, government officials, health care providers and others;

J. coordinate law enforcement's and emergency responders' response to an act of terrorism or terrorist threat;

K. develop and maintain a statewide plan and strategy to manage and allocate federal grant funds required to provide the state's emergency response community with the equipment necessary to respond to an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction; and

L. perform such other duties relating to homeland security as may be assigned by the governor.

History: Laws 2007, ch. 291, § 5.

Effective dates. — Laws 2007, ch. 291, § 37 made the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department Act effective July 1, 2007.