[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2834-S2835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Democratic 
Leader Daschle's request to bring before the Senate the Economic 
Recovery Act of 2003, S. 414, which includes legislation I introduced 
last month: the First Responders Partnership Grant Act of 2003. I 
regret that Republicans objected to proceeding to these important 
matters when Senator Daschle requested we move to it yesterday.
  I thank the Democratic leader for authoring this important economic 
stimulus package. In seeking to improve homeland security, I am proud 
that he saw fit to include the First Responders Partnership Grant Act--
on which he, Democratic Whip Reid and Senator Breaux join me as 
cosponsors. This legislation will supply our Nation's first responders 
with the support they so desperately need to protect homeland security 
and prevent and respond to acts of terrorism.
  I want to begin by thanking each of our Nation's brave firefighters, 
emergency rescurers, law enforcement officers, and other first 
responder personnel for the jobs they do for the American public day in 
and day out. Our public safety officers are often the first to respond 
to any crime or emergency situation. On September 11, the Nation saw 
that the first on the scene at the World Trade Center were the heroic 
firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel of New York City. 
These real-life heroes, many of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice, 
remind us of how important it is to support our State and local public 
safety partners.
  But while we ask our Nation's first responders to defend us as never 
before on the front lines against the dark menace of domestic 
terrorism, we have failed to supply them with the Federal support they 
need and deserve to protect us, as we expect and need them to protect 
us.
  Since February 7, 2003, the Federal Homeland Security Advisory System 
has kept State and local first responders on Orange Alert, a ``high'' 
condition indicating a high probability of a terrorist attack and when 
additional precautions by first responders are necessary at public 
events.
  Since then, counterterrorism officials have warned that the threat of 
terrorist attacks on U.S. soil is at a higher level than in previous 
months due to the possibility of impending military action against 
Iraq. This is the second time since September 11, 2001, that the 
national warning level has been at Orange Alert--from September 10 to 
September 24 last year, Attorney General Ashcroft declared our country 
at Orange Threat level.
  From March 12, 2002, until this month, we were at Yellow Alert, an 
``elevated'' threat level declared when

[[Page S2835]]

there is a significant risk of terrorist attacks, requiring increased 
surveillance of critical locations.
  Counties, cities and towns in my home State of Vermont and across the 
U.S. find themselves overwhelmed by increasing homeland security costs 
required by the Federal Government. Indeed, the National Governors 
Association estimates that States incurred around $7 billion in 
security costs over the past year alone.
  As a result, the national threat alerts and other Federal homeland 
security requirements have become unfunded Federal mandates on our 
State and local governments. Rutland County Sheriff R.J. Elrick, 
president of the Vermont Sheriffs' Association, recently wrote to me, 
``We are in dire need of financial support to keep our personnel 
trained and equipped to meet the challenges here as home as we continue 
our vigilant commitment to fight terrorism.''
  When terrorists strike, first responders are and will always be the 
first people we turn to for help. We place our lives and the lives of 
our families and friends in the hands of these officers, trusting that 
when called upon they will protect and save us.
  Just how, without supplying them with the necessary resources, do we 
expect our Nation's first responders to realistically carry out their 
duties?
  Our State and local law enforcement officers, firefighters and 
emergency personnel are full partners in preventing, investigating and 
responding to terrorist acts. They need and deserve the full 
collaboration of the Federal Government to meet these new national 
responsibilities.
  Washington is buzzing about the literally hundreds of billions of 
additional dollars the President plans to ask Congress to provide for 
our military services to fight the war on terrorism abroad. The same 
cannot be said for helping security here at home, which is shamefully 
overlooked.
  For a year and a half I have been working hard to remedy that, with 
allies like our distinguished Democratic leader and assistant 
Democratic leader, and New York Senators Schumer and Clinton. As former 
chair and now ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, I have made it 
a high priority to evaluate and meet the needs of our first responders.
  For these reasons, I commend the Democratic leader for including in 
the homeland security section of his economic stimulus package the 
First Responders Partnership Grant Act, which will give our Nation's 
law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel the 
resources they need to do their jobs. This legislation will establish a 
grant program at the Department of Homeland Security to provide $5 
billion nationwide for current fiscal year to support State and local 
public safety officers in their efforts to protect homeland security 
and prevent and respond to acts to terrorism.
  Similar to the highly successful Department of Justice Community 
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership 
Grant Programs, the First Responder Grants will be made directly to 
State and local government units for overtime, equipment, training and 
facility expenses to support our law enforcement officers, firefighters 
and emergency personnel.
  The First Responder Grants may be used to pay up to 90 percent of the 
cost of the overtime, equipment, training or facility. In cases of 
fiscal hardship, the Department of Homeland Security may waive the 
local match requirement of 10 percent to provide Federal funds for 
communities that cannot afford the local match.
  In a world shaped by the violent events of September 11, day after 
day we call upon our public safety officers to remain vigilant. We not 
only ask them to put their lives at risk in the line of duty, but also, 
if need be, given their lives to protect us.
  If we take time to listen to our Nation's State and local public 
safety partners, they will tell us that they welcome the challenge to 
join in our national mission to protect our homeland security. But we 
cannot ask our firefighters, emergency personnel, and law enforcement 
officers to assume these new national responsibilities without also 
providing new Federal support.
  The First Responders Partnership Grant Act will provide the necessary 
Federal support for our State and public safety officers to serve as 
full partners in the fight to protect our homeland security. We need 
our first responders for the security and the life-saving help they 
bring to our communities. All they ask is for the tools they need to do 
their jobs for us. And for the sake of our own security, that is not 
too much to ask.
  I commend Senator Daschle for his leadership, and hope that the 
Senate will soon consider this desperately-needed economic stimulus 
package.

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