[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, today this House 
will consider the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, a bill I 
support for funding the safety of our communities and the security of 
our country.
  While I am proud this Congress is putting real dollars behind 
homeland security preparedness programs, it is not enough for us to 
simply write a check. We must play a more active role. We must engage, 
discuss, and oversee how that check is being spent.
  To that end I am working on legislation to authorize in law within 
the Department the programs most needed back home: the grants for all-
hazards emergency planning, supplies needed to carry out those plans, 
medical and search and rescue support, and antiterrorism and urban area 
security grants. These grant programs deserve our careful attention, 
not just simply a brief line in our budget.
  We all agree that we need to refocus on all-hazards emergency 
preparedness. I look forward to working with my colleagues to authorize 
these programs so that our first responders can depend on us.

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