[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE FASTER AND SMARTER FUNDING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS ACT

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                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that I will be voting 
for H.R. 1544, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responder Act 
with the expectation that this bill's serious flaws will be fixed in 
conference negotiations with the Senate.
  Our police, firefighter and other emergency service officers are 
routinely putting themselves at risk in order to ensure our safety. As 
a strong supporter of our nation's first responders, I believe it is 
imperative that the federal government provide these fine, brave public 
servants the resources they need to properly respond to threats of 
terrorism.
  Unfortunately, the current system for distributing grants to first 
responders does not allocate funding in a timely fashion. According to 
the Department of Homeland Security, only about 48 percent of the 
funding obligated to the State of North Dakota between 2002 and 2004 
has actually been spent to support first responders' efforts to prepare 
for and respond to terrorist attacks, leaving about $20.6 million to 
still be spent. H.R. 1544 addresses this issue by streamlining the 
funding process for terrorism preparedness grants and moving the 
planning to the front end of the application process. By restructuring 
this process, it is predicted that the time it takes to get funds from 
the federal government to the local entity will be shortened by about 6 
months.
  However, I have deep concerns regarding the minimum funding levels 
provided in H.R. 1544. Every state and city needs to have some minimum 
infrastructure for emergency response. Unfortunately, the minimum 
funding levels provided in H.R. 1544 do not go far enough to ensure 
that a rural state such as North Dakota will be provided the resources 
needed to develop and maintain a safe, emergency response 
infrastructure. Seeing that we do not know where terrorists will strike 
next, it is important that all communities possess properly trained 
first responders who are equipped with the appropriate equipment and 
technology to prevent, prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism. 
Despite my objections to H.R. 1544's minimum funding levels, I am going 
to vote for this bill based on the expectation that the minimum 
guarantee will be increased during negotiations with the Senate.

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