Government Relations & Strateglc Partnerships American 431 18th Street, NW Red Cross Washington, DC 20006 August 7, 2012 The Honorable Joseph Liebennan Chainnan Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Susan Collins Ranking Member Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chainnan Liebennan and Ranking Member Collins: On behalf of the American Red Cross and our more than 600 community based chapters, I am writing in support of S. 2283, a bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to include procedures for requests from Indian tribes for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and for other purposes, as introduced in the U.S. Senate. This measure would amend the Stafford Act in recognition of tribal sovereignty. At this time, the Stafford Act classifies Indian tribes as "local governments" which creates a direct obstacle to Indian tribal governments' ability to request emergency or major disaster declarations directly from the President. Currently, tribes may only obtain Federal disaster assistance if the governor of their state requests a Stafford Act declaration from the President. We join with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and intertribal organizations including the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in support of legislative efforts that would authorize federally recognized tribal governments to make requests directly to the President for Stafford Act declarations. As a result of our partnership experiences with FEMA and Indian tribal governments, we believe recognizing sovereignty and providing direct access to Federal disaster assistance will aid in disaster preparedness and response efforts in these communities. We would appreciate your support ofS. 2283 to amend the Stafford Act in recognition of tribal sovereignty. Sincerdy, ~d!}llL Neal Denton Senior Vice-President Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships