"State and local officials provided input on the narrative style, readability, specific word use and tone of the draft NRF document, and numerous changes were made to the final document based on those comments. Input from state partners during the comment period also pointed out some inconsistencies in the draft document between the NRF language and the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act which were addressed. Stakeholder groups during the comment period also sought specific language addressing the unique challenges faced by special needs populations. Based on stakeholder comments, special needs language was added to the document. State and tribal representatives requested that clarifications be made in the core document to reflect that states and tribes do not have to exhaust all resources (including mutual aid) before requesting Federal assistance following disasters". "The "Incident of National Significance" term utilized in the NRP caused significant confusion. Many readers understood that a declaration of an Incident of National Significance by the Secretary of Homeland Security was a requirement for the NRP to be invoked or Federal assistance or interagency incident management support to be provided. This was not true, but efforts to clarify the Incident of National Significance term were not completely successful. And since the actual declaration of an Incident of National Significance brought no new authorities to the incident response, the decision was made to eliminate the term. (DHS, NRF FAQs, Jan 08, 5).