6 U.S.C. § 101 : US Code - Section 101: Definitions

Search 6 U.S.C. § 101 : US Code - Section 101: Definitions

In this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(1) Each of the terms "American homeland" and "homeland" means
the United States.
(2) The term "appropriate congressional committee" means any
committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate having
legislative or oversight jurisdiction under the Rules of the
House of Representatives or the Senate, respectively, over the
matter concerned.
(3) The term "assets" includes contracts, facilities, property,
records, unobligated or unexpended balances of appropriations,
and other funds or resources (other than personnel).
(4) The term "critical infrastructure" has the meaning given
that term in section 5195c(e) of title 42.
(5) The term "Department" means the Department of Homeland
Security.
(6) The term "emergency response providers" includes Federal,
State, and local governmental and nongovernmental emergency
public safety, fire, law enforcement, emergency response,
emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), and
related personnel, agencies, and authorities.
(7) The term "executive agency" means an executive agency and a
military department, as defined, respectively, in sections 105
and 102 of title 5.
(8) The term "functions" includes authorities, powers, rights,
privileges, immunities, programs, projects, activities, duties,
and responsibilities.
(9) The term "key resources" means publicly or privately
controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the
economy and government.
(10) The term "local government" means - 
(A) a county, municipality, city, town, township, local
public authority, school district, special district, intrastate
district, council of governments (regardless of whether the
council of governments is incorporated as a nonprofit
corporation under State law), regional or interstate government
entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government;
(B) an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or in
Alaska a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation;
and
(C) a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or
other public entity.
(11) The term "major disaster" has the meaning given in section
5122(2) of title 42.
(12) The term "personnel" means officers and employees.
(13) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Homeland
Security.
(14) The term "State" means any State of the United States, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, and any possession of the United States.
(15) The term "terrorism" means any activity that - 
(A) involves an act that - 
(i) is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive
of critical infrastructure or key resources; and
(ii) is a violation of the criminal laws of the United
States or of any State or other subdivision of the United
States; and
(B) appears to be intended - 
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by
intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass
destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
(16)(A) The term "United States", when used in a geographic
sense, means any State of the United States, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, any possession of the United States, and any waters
within the jurisdiction of the United States.
(B) Nothing in this paragraph or any other provision of this
chapter shall be construed to modify the definition of "United
States" for the purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act
[8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.] or any other immigration or nationality
law.