[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REDUNDANCY ELIMINATION AND ENHANCED PERFORMANCE FOR PREPAREDNESS GRANTS 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 2, 2009

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today in 
support of H.R. 3980, the ``Redundancy Elimination and Enhanced 
Performance for Preparedness Grants Act''. I would like thank my friend 
and colleague, Representative Cuellar, for introducing this act of 
solidarity, as well as the co-sponsor, Representative Richardson.
  Congress instructed FEMA in the Post-Katrina Emergency Management 
Reform Act of 2006 and in the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 to develop performance metrics for its homeland 
security grants programs. As the House Committee on Homeland Security 
discovered in our October 27th subcommittee hearing for the Emergency 
Communications, Preparedness and Response Subcommittee, these 
requirements remain poorly implemented and difficult to comprehend.
  What is most disconcerting is that FEMA still cannot determine our 
Nation's overall preparedness or how homeland security grants have 
helped to protect our Nation from acts of terrorism.
  It is for these reasons that I come to you today to ask for your 
support of H.R. 3980, the Redundancy Elimination and Enhanced 
Performance for Preparedness Grants Act.
  This legislation would require FEMA to work in conjunction with 
state, local, tribal and territorial stakeholders to develop a plan to: 
Streamline homeland security grant reporting requirements, rules and 
regulations to eliminate redundant reporting; create a strategy 
including a set timeline for establishing the much needed performance 
metrics for grant programs to ensure that the funds are being directed 
to the areas where they will be best spent; and require FEMA to take 
inventory of each homeland security grant program to include the 
purpose, objectives and performance goals for each.
  The plan will be submitted to the Committee on Homeland Security no 
later than 120 days after the bill's enactment. It will be updated 
biannually to ensure that the Committee is able to maintain a watchful 
eye on redundancies in the law that might confuse grant recipients. 
Finally, this bill will help identify inefficiencies with the DHS grant 
programs and this bill will increase the quality of services received 
by DHS grant recipients.
  It is for these reasons that I rise in support of Representative 
Cuellar's legislation before us, and why I encourage my fellow Members 
to do the same.

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