[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5379-S5380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Corzine, Mr. 
        Daschle, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. 
        Schumer):
  S. 921. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
make grants to reimburse State and local governments and Indian tribes 
for certain costs relating to the mobilization of Reserves who are 
first responder personnel of such governments or tribes; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the ``State and 
Local Reservist First Responders Assistance Act of 2003.'' My bill 
would reimburse State and local governments for the additional costs 
they incur when their first responders who also serve in the National 
Guard or the Reserves are called to active duty for 6 or more months.

[[Page S5380]]

  I am pleased to have as original cosponsors of my bill Senators 
Clinton, Corzine, Daschle, Leahy, Mikulski, Sarbanes, and Schumer.
  The 1.2 million men and women who serve in the Guard and the Reserves 
are a crucial component of our military. They account for just 8.3 
percent of the Defense budget but give us the capability, if necessary, 
or nearly doubling our Armed Forces personnel.
  Not surprisingly, many police, fire, rescue, emergency medical 
service, and emergency hazardous material disposal personnel serve in 
the Guard and the Reserves. More and more of these men and women are 
being called to active duty for longer and longer tours, especially now 
because of the war with Iraq.
  It's critical that we bolster our military capabilities here and 
abroad. But we must not do it at the expense of our safety and security 
at home.
  Increasingly, I am hearing from State and local officials who are 
concerned about the toll that Guard and Reserve call-ups are taking on 
emergency preparedness.
  It can be a major problem in smaller towns where just a few call-ups 
can decimate a local fire or police department. The Town of Ridgewood, 
for instance, had a patrolman called up who also headed the EMS, 
emergency medical services. It is costing the town $200,000 to replace 
him.
  Because of the recession that began in March 2001 and the effects of 
9-11, State and local governments are financially strapped. We 
shouldn't leave them ``holding the bag'' when their first responders 
get called to active duty for months at a time.
  My bill would establish a grant program to be administered by the 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS. State and local units of 
government could apply for grants to cover the unanticipated costs 
associated with replacing a first responder called to active duty for 6 
months or more.
  Reimbursable costs could include the salary and benefits associated 
with hiring a temporary replacement or the overtime paid to other 
emergency personnel who ``fill in'' for the first responder called to 
active duty.
  If a jurisdiction does not pay its reservist and uses the savings to 
hire a temporary replacement or pay others overtime, those ``costs'' 
would not be reimbursable. Only net additional costs would be 
reimbursable.
  My bill will help communities in my home State of New Jersey and 
across the country maintain their ability to respond to terrorist 
attacks, natural disasters, and other emergencies.
  A logical question to ask regarding my bill is, ``How much does it 
cost?'' The candid answer is, ``I don't know.''
  The bill authorizes the appropriation of ``such sums as may be 
necessary.''
  The stipulation in the bill that the first responders must be called 
to active duty for 6 or more consecutive months is meant to keep the 
costs of the bill under control and to ensure that the grant program is 
administratively feasible.
  I have tried, so far unsuccessfully, to get a handle on how many 
first responders have been called to active duty, and for how long. It 
appears that no one is really keeping track.
  The anecdotal evidence of the need for my bill, however, is 
overwhelming.
  According to the Department of Defense, there are a total of 221,186 
Reservists and National Guardsmen and women on active duty right now. 
Many of them, obviously, are first responders.
  According to the Police Executive Research Forum, PERF, 452 of 1002 
law enforcement agencies and departments across the country surveyed so 
far have lost personnel to call-ups.
  The Democratic Leadership Council, DLC, has determined that 27 of the 
44 police departments it has surveyed are experiencing personnel 
shortfalls caused, in part, by military call-ups.
  Of the remaining 17 departments, 15 are in danger of being hurt by 
call-ups.
  According to the DLC, ``About 5 percent of the officers in these 
departments are reservists or members of the National Guard--and many 
are already being called up for service in the wars against terrorism, 
Afghanistan, and Iraq. On average, the activation of only 30 percent of 
these reserves would cause a personnel shortage in these departments.''
  The DLC report, entitled ``Cop Crunch'' and previewed in the March/
April issue of Blueprint, lists the following ten jurisdictions as most 
vulnerable to military call-ups: 1. Fresno, which has about 100 
reservists who make up 14.4 percent of the force; 2. Virginia Beach, 
which has 90 reservists who make up 12.1 percent of the force; 3. 
Milwaukee, which has 110 reservists who make up 8.2 percent of the 
force; 4. Miami, which has 86 reservists who make up 8.0 percent of the 
force; 5. Memphis, which has 143 reservists who make up 7.5 percent of 
the force; 6. San Antonio, which has 151 reservists who make up 7.4 
percent of the force; 7. Los Angeles, which has 650 reservists who make 
up 7.3 percent of the force; 8. Oklahoma City, which has 70 reservists 
who make up 6.8 percent of the force; 9. Wichita, which has 41 
reservists who make up 6.7 percent of the force; and 10. New Orleans, 
which has 109 reservists who make up 6.7 percent of the force.

  The DLC report also highlighted Baltimore's police department. The 
City has lost the equivalent of an entire police district, 150 
officers, to active duty call-ups.
  So, the need for my bill is obvious. State and local governments 
desperately need our help. We shouldn't put our own communities, our 
own citizens, at risk to win the war with Iraq.
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