Secretary; functions

There is a Secretary of Homeland Security, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Secretary is the head of the Department and shall have direction, authority, and control over it. All functions of all officers, employees, and organizational units of the Department are vested in the Secretary. The Secretary— With respect to homeland security, the Secretary shall coordinate through the Office of State and Local Coordination 11 So in original. Probably should be “Office for State and Local Government Coordination”. (established under section 361 of this title) (including the provision of training and equipment) with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, with the private sector, and with other entities, including by— The Secretary may, subject to the direction of the President, attend and participate in meetings of the National Security Council. The issuance of regulations by the Secretary shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 5 of title 5, except as specifically provided in this chapter, in laws granting regulatory authorities that are transferred by this chapter, and in laws enacted after November 25, 2002. The Secretary shall appoint a Special Assistant to the Secretary who shall be responsible for— creating and managing private sector advisory councils composed of representatives of industries and associations designated by the Secretary to— advise the Secretary on private sector preparedness issues, including effective methods for— All standards activities of the Department shall be conducted in accordance with section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note) and Office of Management and Budget Circular A–119. The Secretary shall ensure the head of each office and component of the Department takes into account the needs of children, including children within under-served communities, in mission planning and mission execution. In furtherance of this subsection, the Secretary shall require each such head to seek, to the extent practicable, advice and feedback from organizations representing the needs of children. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 22 See References in Text note below. shall not apply whenever such advice or feedback is sought in accordance with this subsection.