Executive Order 11795—Delegating Disaster Relief Functions Pursuant to the Disaster Relief Act of 1974

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-288; 88 Stat. 143), section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code, and as President of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

SECTION 1. (a) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is designated and empowered to exercise without the approval, ratification, or other action by the President, all of the authority vested in the President by the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, hereinafter referred to as the "act", except: (1) the authority vested in the President by section 301 of the act to declare emergencies and major disasters, by section 313 of the act to prescribe time limits for granting priorities for certain public facilities and certain public housing assistance, by section 401 of the act to provide for the repair, reconstruction, restoration, or replacement of Federal facilities, by section 412 to provide legal services, and by title V to provide for economic recovery, which are hereby reserved to the President; (2) the authority vested in the President by that part of section 202 (c) of the act concerning the utilization and availability of the Federal civil defense communications system for the purpose of disaster warnings which the Secretary of Defense is empowered to exercise by this order; and (3) the authority vested in the President by section 409 of the act concerning food coupons and distribution, which the Secretary of Agriculture is empowered to exercise by this order.

(b) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may delegate or assign to the head of any agency of the executive branch of the Government, subject to the consent of the agency head concerned in each case, any authority or function delegated or assigned to the Secretary by the provisions of this section. Any such head of the agency may redelegate any authority or function so delegated or assigned to him by the Secretary to any officer or employee subordinate to such head of the agency.

(c) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall prepare a plan for the implementation of the provisions of section 412 of the act, relating to legal services, and shall submit that plan to the President through the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

SEC. 2. The Secretary of Defense is designated and empowered to exercise, without the approval, ratification, or other action of the President, the authority vested in the President by section 202 (c) of the act concerning the utilization and availability of the Federal civil defense communications system for the purpose of disaster warnings.

SEC. 3. The Secretary of Agriculture is designated and empowered to exercise, without the approval, ratification, or other action of the President, all of the authority vested in the President by section 409 of the act concerning food coupons and distribution.

SEC. 4. This order shall be effective as of May 22, 1974, and all actions taken by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to the act prior to the date of this order are, to the extent such actions would be authorized and under this order, ratified.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House,

July 11, 1974.