[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11016]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           FIRST RESPONDER TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS ACT OF 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Madam President, I rise to urge my 
colleagues to support the First Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act of 
2002 that I introduced along with the committee chairman, Senator 
Jeffords. This legislation is a huge step forward in providing the 
necessary tools for local and state first responders to prepare to 
respond to any act of terrorism.
  We recognize that it is the local emergency responders who are on the 
scene first to rescue and help those who have been caught in a 
disaster. I visited the Pentagon and Ground Zero less than a week after 
the attacks and can tell you that these first responders are true 
patriots, and they live and serve us in every town and city across this 
great Nation. These local heros, the type of first responders who made 
the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, are the embodiment of the 
American spirit--brave, selfless, and caring. They save lives and we 
should focus our resources to help them with their mission.
  Prior to his confirmation to be the head of FEMA, nearly 9 months 
before the terrorists attacks on this Nation, I met with Joe Allbaugh 
to discuss FEMA priorities. Chief among the priorities we discussed was 
that of terrorism preparedness of our Nation's first responders. Little 
did we know what this Nation would be facing less than 9 months down 
the road.
  Since September 11, I have met with Director Allbaugh and his staff 
on several occasions, and the Environment and Public Works Committee, 
of which I am the ranking member, has held a number of hearings on this 
issue.
  In January, I enthusiastically endorsed President Bush's announcement 
of his first responder plan to be run by FEMA. This bill, the First 
Responder Terrorism Preparedness Act, mirrors the President's proposal 
and represents months of work by the Environment and Public Works 
Committee flushing the President's proposal with the aid of the 
administration.
  In brief, this bill will authorize a first responder grant program 
for 4 years at $3.5 billion per year. Each State will receive a minimum 
of $15 million with the remaining being distributed to States based on 
criteria set by FEMA but will include population, vital infrastructure, 
military installations and proximity to international borders. The 
money will be used for preparedness efforts including to purchase 
equipment, train, develop response plans, conduct exercises and provide 
for communication needs. We ensure that the money does not get tied up 
in bureaucracy and gets to the first responders.
  The bill also requires that all the efforts at the State and local 
level be part of a broader national preparedness strategy as determined 
by the Office of National Preparedness (ONP). The ONP was put in place 
by the President over a year ago, a move I have been advocating for 
some time, and the President deserves a great deal of credit for that 
action.
  This bill takes the additional step of establishing the ONP in 
statute. The ONP will help to coordinate preparedness efforts at the 
Federal level and be the point Federal office for the State and local 
responders. It is vital that we do not have thousands of independent 
preparedness plans and efforts--we need a local, state, regional and 
national strategy.
  The bill will also enhance the capabilities of FEMA designated Urban 
Search and Rescue teams. Many of those teams were activated on 
September 11, but have had serious financial difficulties in 
maintaining adequate levels of preparedness. That certainly should not 
be the case and we address those needs.
  We all entered a new world and a new reality on September 11, and we 
must be prepared for whatever may come our way. The President has done 
a tremendous job to dramatically reduce the vulnerabilities of this 
Nation and I, once again, applaud his effort to establish a new 
Department of Homeland Security. However, regardless of how much we 
work to prevent further attacks, we must be prepared if the unthinkable 
were to happen again. This will be an ongoing effort and this bill 
takes a very large step in providing the resources and direction to 
ensure that the effort is productive.
  I thank the chairman of the EPW Committee for his leadership and for 
working closely with me on this important and bipartisan issue. It is 
my hope that our bill will make it to the President's desk in short 
order.

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