[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 47 (Monday, March 24, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4316-S4317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR STATE AND LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, just as we stand behind our troops in 
Iraq, so must we also unite here at home behind our first responders as 
they protect our communities from the threat of a terrorist attack.
  As the chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, I have made 
helping first responders one of my top priorities. Now that we have 
confirmed Secretary Tom Ridge and helped to get the new Department of 
Homeland Security up and running, it is time to turn to strengthening 
the new Department's partnership with State and local governments and 
the first responders who protect our homeland.
  On March 1, our home security structure began to come into place as 
Secretary Ridge incorporated nearly two dozen agencies into the new 
Department of Homeland Security. While this new framework will provide 
much needed focus to tackling the threat of a terrorist attack, we must 
also provide the resources to our communities and their police, 
firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who stand ready to 
respond to a crisis.
  Just as they stand by to protect our citizens, our first responders 
deserve a government that stands by them.
  In a recent conversation with Secretary Ridge, we discussed the fact 
that if disaster does strike, if there is another terrorist attack, it 
is our first responders, not some official from Washington, who would 
be on the front lines. I plan on holding a series of hearings and 
introducing legislation streamlining and strengthening Federal support 
for State and local homeland security efforts.
  We must continue to combat terrorism at every stage. The war on 
terrorism has already yielded some very significant victories. The fall 
of the Taliban has denied al-Qaida its most important sanctuary. The 
capture of several high-ranking al-Qaida operatives has also pushed us 
forward in our quest to end terrorist attacks. Working with foreign 
governments, we have disrupted much of the al-Qaida network.
  But we know that terrorist cells continue to operate around the 
world, and the threat in the United States remains high. The threat 
remains very real as terrorists still plot to attack our Nation.
  Just as we must continue to attack the threats at their sources, we 
must also strengthen our ability to detect, prevent, deter, and respond 
to a terrorist attack.
  Recently, I met with some 40 officials from communities around the 
State of Maine. I have also spoken with police officers, firefighters, 
and emergency medical staff personnel. They have all expressed concerns 
about navigating the maze of Federal homeland security funding.
  I met recently with Maine's Adjutant General, GEN Joe Tinkham, who 
talked to me about the tangled web of some 40 Federal Agencies and 
Departments that have a role in combating terrorism and in funding 
local homeland security efforts. He told me that, while underfunded, in 
some ways the previous system worked better for the State of Maine 
because there was much more flexibility. Now he finds that certain 
money is set aside that can only be used for equipment purchases, when 
what is needed is joint training to learn to use that equipment 
effectively in some communities.

  The new Department of Homeland Security will address many of these 
concerns by helping to streamline and coordinate programs formerly 
administered by a number of different agencies. But we must follow up 
on these efforts to help the new Department enhance its efforts to fund 
first responders.
  I have received a lot of advice on this issue from Maine's 
firefighters, police officers, and State and local officials. They have 
suggested a new partnership with the Department of Homeland Security 
that gives them the flexibility they need to meet whatever is the need 
for homeland security at the local level.
  Last year, we put a downpayment on the needs of our communities. The 
increased funding of programs, such as the FIRE Act, and those within 
the Office of Domestic Preparedness, are important steps forward in 
providing the necessary resources.
  But we must build on this success and provide a stronger framework. 
First responders' needs are as diverse as the States and the 
communities they protect. Our grant programs and other assistance must 
be flexible enough to reflect this diversity. But, unfortunately, that 
is not the case under the current approach.
  Maine's first responders and local governments have told me their 
needs range from communications equipment to personnel to more 
effective training. Mainers, and others beyond the beltway, do not just 
have needs; they also have tremendously creative and effective ideas 
that can be channeled into the new coordinated community-based homeland 
security strategy.
  Over the coming weeks, I will be holding hearings in the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs to begin to build a consensus for legislation 
helping homeland security transition many of its important grant 
programs into their new directorates. I plan to call on States, 
communities, and, most importantly, our first responders who stand on 
the front lines to learn how we can better meet their needs.
  Listening to the ideas and needs of our communities and first 
responders will be the most effective way of developing legislation to 
make sure our homeland security dollars go as far as possible. We want 
legislation that will help provide the right resources to the right 
people.
  Our President and Secretary Ridge have shown tremendous leadership in 
focusing the new Department's efforts, not only in developing a 
national strategy but in focusing its efforts outside Washington.

[[Page S4317]]

  Congress must shift its homeland security focus from Washington to 
our borders, our shorelines, and our communities. I look forward to 
continuing to work with communities across Maine and around the country 
so that we can build a better and stronger homeland security 
partnership in the months and years ahead.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.

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