[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 78 (Thursday, June 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1017-E1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 1, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2017) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Chair, I rise to support the Clarke-Higgins-Reichert-
Capps Amendment.
  This bipartisan effort will ensure funding for the country's urban 
areas involved in preventing and responding to natural disasters and 
acts of terrorism.
  The Urban Area Security Initiative focuses on enhancing preparedness 
in urban areas.
  It does so by directing federal funds to places deemed to be at the 
highest risk for man-made or natural disasters.
  For example, metropolitan Oxnard--located in my congressional 
district--has been included several times in recent years due to the 
strategic assets located in the area.

[[Page E1018]]

  However, the underlying bill would arbitrarily limit eligibility to 
10 urban areas total.
  This would eliminate the Oxnard's ability to access the funds 
necessary to prevent and prepare for all types of hazards.
  Mr. Chair, the Oxnard metropolitan area has just as much need to 
protect its citizens from terrorist threats as any other large city in 
the U.S.
  For example, Oxnard is home to Naval Base Ventura County. This 
strategic military installation supports ongoing military operations in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as important D.O.D. weapons testing 
programs.
  The Port of Hueneme--the only deepwater harbor between Los Angeles 
and the San Francisco Bay area--serves international businesses and 
ocean carriers from the Pacific Rim and Europe.
  The Oxnard coastline is dotted with offshore oil and gas platforms, 
power plants and chemical facilities.
  And Oxnard is located alongside U.S. Highway 101--the only north-
south evacuation route on California's Central Coast.
  That's why the Department of Homeland Security has granted millions 
of dollars to the Oxnard UASI over the years.
  It's recognized the need to support this community's efforts to: 
train and equip first responders, improve interoperable communications, 
establish fusion centers, and protect critical infrastructure.
  It knows it must enhance the capacity to respond to all-hazard 
events, including tsunamis, wildfires, mudslides or earthquakes.
  And it understands that investing in local programs, like ``Ventura 
Get Ready,'' will help ensure the safety and security of our citizens.
  Mr. Chair, we all know this is a tough budget environment and that we 
need to make targeted investments.
  But making more than 50 cities ineligible for UASI funds--regardless 
of threat and vulnerability levels--is shortsighted and wrong.
  These communities contain numerous assets, resources and critical 
infrastructure that are vulnerable to attack and that are tremendously 
important to the nation.
  Now is not the time to eliminate the eligibility of our threatened 
urban areas from UASI funding.
  We cannot lay the entire financial burden of securing our cities on 
local authorities, first responders, and law enforcement and expect to 
adequately protect our citizens and make our cities safe.
  Let's remove this harmful UASI language from the bill and ensure our 
cities have the necessary capabilities to safeguard our communities.
  Vote ``yes'' on the bipartisan Clarke-Higgins amendment.

                          ____________________