Authorizing Statute

Domestic Security

6 USC 112 – Sec. 112. Secretary; Functions

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“(f) Special Assistant to the Secretary. The Secretary shall appoint a Special Assistant to the Secretary who shall be responsible for--

   (1) creating and fostering strategic communications with the private sector to enhance the primary mission of the Department to protect the American homeland;

   (2) advising the Secretary on the impact of the Department's policies, regulations, processes, and actions on the private sector;

   (3) interfacing with other relevant Federal agencies with homeland security missions to assess the impact of these agencies' actions on the private sector;

   (4) creating and managing private sector advisory councils composed of representatives of industries and associations designated by the Secretary to--

      (A) advise the Secretary on private sector products, applications, and solutions as they relate to homeland security challenges;

      (B) advise the Secretary on homeland security policies, regulations, processes, and actions that affect the participating industries and associations; and

      (C) advise the Secretary on private sector preparedness issues, including effective methods for--

         (i) promoting voluntary preparedness standards to the private sector; and

         (ii) assisting the private sector in adopting voluntary preparedness standards;

   (5) working with Federal laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, other federally funded organizations, academia, and the private sector to develop innovative approaches to address homeland security challenges to produce and deploy the best available technologies for homeland security missions;

   (6) promoting existing public-private partnerships and developing new public-private partnerships to provide for collaboration and mutual support to address homeland security challenges;

   (7) assisting in the development and promotion of private sector best practices to secure critical infrastructure;

   (8) providing information to the private sector regarding voluntary preparedness standards and the business justification for preparedness and promoting to the private sector the adoption of voluntary preparedness standards;

   (9) coordinating industry efforts, with respect to functions of the Department of Homeland Security, to identify private sector resources and capabilities that could be effective in supplementing Federal, State, and local government agency efforts to prevent or respond to a terrorist attack;

   (10) coordinating with the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security and the Assistant Secretary for Trade Development of the Department of Commerce on issues related to the travel and tourism industries; and

   (11) consulting with the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness on all matters of concern to the private sector, including the tourism industry.”