Executive Orders
From 2002-2006 the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness operated under executive orders from Governor Mark Warner and Governor Tim Kaine.
In 2006, the General Assembly codified the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness, the Secure Commonwealth Panel and the Commonwealth Preparedness Working Group. Both Chapters 901 and 860 are Acts that pertain to this and can be accessed by the provided links
Executive Order 44
Executive Order 44 establishes and furthers preparedness initiatives in state government. The Order directs all state agencies, including state institutions of higher learning, to “include emergency preparedness planning, training and promotion as a core component of their mission.” As part of this the Governor continued the plan for all state employees to complete a Terrorism and Security Awareness Orientation course.
The order also mandates that all agencies participate in an annual preparedness assessment and it authorizes the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness to create criteria for a Governor’s Preparedness Certification Program to recognize those agencies that “represent exemplary preparedness initiatives among state government.”
Finally this order directs that all state agencies create or update Continuity of Operations Plans and that those plans be submitted for review by April 1st of each year.
Executive Order 30
Noting that interoperable communications is vital to the Commonwealth’s preparedness, in Executive Order 30 Governor Kaine established the State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC) to work with the Secure Commonwealth Panel. The order also requires that the SIEC submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on November 1st of each year.
- Office of Commonwealth Preparedness
- © Commonwealth of Virginia, 2008
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