[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E736-E737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Citizen and 
Community Preparedness Act of 2008, which reaffirms the Federal 
Government's commitment to helping our communities prepare for and 
respond to acts of terrorism, natural disasters and other emergencies.
  I am glad to be joined today in introducing this bipartisan bill by 
the Ranking Member of my Subcommittee--the Subcommittee on Emergency 
Communications, Preparedness and Response--the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania, Charlie Dent.
  I am also pleased to have Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie 
Thompson, as well as Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, as original 
cosponsors of this legislation. They are true leaders in the area of 
emergency preparedness and have been instrumental in the drafting of 
this bill.
  If a disaster--whether large or small--occurs in a community, local 
responders and disaster-relief organizations will be there to help, but 
citizens need to be ready as well.
  In fact, when individual citizens, families and communities are 
prepared, the fear, anxiety,

[[Page E737]]

and loss that accompany disasters is substantially minimized.
  It is imperative that citizens know what to do in the event of an 
emergency and be ready to either shelter in place or evacuate their 
homes.
  People must be ready to care for their basic needs should they be 
displaced for a period of time.
  As we move toward the 3-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the 
7-year anniversary of 9/11, we must not lose sight of the lessons 
learned from these disasters.
  While I recognize that the most effective emergency preparedness 
programs and messages are delivered locally and not from Washington, we 
must ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is working with 
State and local partners, providing them with the tools they need to 
get the message out.
  Following the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001, 
Federal, State and local government officials agreed that the formula 
for ensuring a more secure and safer homeland consists of preparedness, 
training, and citizen involvement in supporting first responders.
  As a result, the Citizen Corps Program and Ready campaigns were 
created.
  To date, with limited resources available, over 2,000 communities in 
all 56 States and territories have established Citizen Corps Councils 
to help inform and train citizens in emergency preparedness, and 
promote volunteerism.
  However, I think these programs can be improved.
  The legislation I am introducing today formally authorizes the 
Citizen Corps Program and provides it with the necessary funding to be 
effective.
  It also authorizes key Citizen Corps components administered by the 
Department of Homeland Security--Fire Corps and CERT.
  Fire Corps promotes the use of volunteers to assist fire and rescue 
departments in non-operational roles such as fire safety outreach, 
youth programs, and administrative support.
  The Community Emergency Response Team, CERT, program concept was 
developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 
1985 and has since spread to over 1,000 communities nationwide.
  Under the CERT Program citizens are training citizens in basic 
disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, 
team organization, and disaster medical operations.
  As our Nation continues to glean lessons from the catastrophic events 
of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Government must ensure that 
preparedness efforts help our Nation's most vulnerable populations.
  To that end, this legislation requires the Secretary to work closely 
with organizations representing the elderly, the disabled, the hearing 
and visually impaired, communities with language and income barriers, 
and children to promote preparedness.
  This legislation will also create a pilot program to enhance citizen 
preparedness at primary and secondary schools, as well as on university 
or college campuses, by providing training, exercises, and public 
awareness campaigns.
  Finally, my bill directs the Secretary to carry out a public affairs 
campaign utilizing diverse media outlets to get the word out to the 
public to assist them in preparing for acts of terrorism and other 
emergencies.
  Addressing the issue of citizen preparedness continues to be a major 
issue for our Nation.
  In fact, the National Governors' Association 2007 State Homeland 
Security Directors Survey, which polled the 56 State and territorial 
homeland security advisors, cited citizen preparedness as one of the 
top 5 priorities for their States.
  It is now time to stop paying lip service to the issue of citizen and 
community preparedness and to start acting.
   In closing Madam Speaker, let me say that our citizens' lack of 
preparedness is often cited as an impediment to an effective emergency 
response. I believe this legislation will make strides to change that 
fact and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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