October 18, 2001

BULLETIN NO. 02-01

TO THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS

SUBJECT:  Agency Reports on the Use of the Emergency Response Fund

1.  Purpose. Submit monthly reports on your agency’s use of the funds OMB transferred to you from the Emergency Response Fund (ERF).

2.  Background. The 2001 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States ( P.L. 107-38) provided appropriations to the ERF that are, in turn, transferred by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to agency accounts. The Act requires that the OMB provide quarterly reports to the Committees on Appropriations on the use of the ERF appropriations. In the negotiations with Congress that led to this legislation, the OMB agreed to track agency expenditures on a more frequent basis.

3.  Coverage. All agencies that received transfers and OMB approval of transfers from the ERF.

4.  Reports. Each department or agency will submit one report to cover the whole department or agency. The report will be on obligations incurred, during the previous month and cumulatively, against budget authority transferred or approved to be transferred by OMB from the ERF. The amounts will be reported in thousands of dollars. Submit monthly reports in the format of the attached exhibit to your OMB representative with budget responsibility for your accounts.

The ERF specifies that "not less than one-half ... shall be for disaster recovery activities and assistance related to the terrorist acts in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania." The report will separately identify the cumulative amounts of funds provided to the three States. For the purposes of the report, the term "disaster recovery activities and assistance" includes:

• Providing economic and physical disaster relief assistance to areas directly affected by the attacks.
  
  
• Repairing public facilities and transportation systems damaged by the attacks.
  
  
• Restoring Federal services or the ability to provide Federal services in areas directly affected by the attacks.
  
  
• Providing medical and economic support to individuals or domestic organizations directly affected by the attacks.
  
  
• Providing support to investigate or prosecute domestic or international terrorism.
  
  
• Providing increased security for domestic transportation and infrastructure.

"Disaster recovery activities and assistance" do not include:

• Developing or implementing military responses to the attacks, or backfilling for resources tasked for a military response.
  
  
• Supporting most international activities, except for evacuation of personnel immediately following the attacks.

5.  Due Dates. Monthly reports are due to OMB no later than four weeks after the end of each month, beginning on October 26, 2001.

6.  Contact. Direct your questions to your OMB representative with budget responsibility for your accounts.

Attachment (1 page, 55 kb)