[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15523-15525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS ALLOWABLE USE ACT

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5997) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to codify 
authority under existing grant guidance authorizing use of Urban Area 
Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding 
for enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass 
prophylaxis capabilities, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5997

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Medical Preparedness 
     Allowable Use Act''.

     SEC. 2. USE OF CERTAIN HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT FUNDS FOR 
                   ENHANCING MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS, MEDICAL SURGE 
                   CAPACITY, AND MASS PROPHYLAXIS CAPABILITIES.

       Section 2008 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     609) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by redesignating paragraphs (10) 
     through (13) as paragraphs (11) through (14), respectively, 
     and by inserting after paragraph (9) the following:
       ``(10) enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge 
     capacity, and mass prophylaxis capabilities, including the 
     development and maintenance of an initial pharmaceutical 
     stockpile, including medical kits, and diagnostics sufficient 
     to protect first responders, their families, and immediate 
     victims from a chemical or biological event;''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking ``(a)(10)'' and 
     inserting ``(a)(11)''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. 
Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5997, the Medical Preparedness 
Allowable Use Act, a bipartisan bill which amends the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 to make it clear that grant funds under the State Homeland 
Security Grant Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative may be 
used to enhance medical preparedness and purchase medical 
countermeasures.
  I introduced H.R. 5997 after a series of hearings on medical 
countermeasures in the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on 
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications. At these 
hearings, we received testimony from representatives of the emergency 
response community on the importance of stockpiling medical 
countermeasures in the event of a WMD attack. This includes pre-
deployed medical kits for first responders and their families, similar 
to those provided to postal workers participating in the national U.S. 
Postal Medical Countermeasures Dispensing Pilot Program.
  The grant guidance for the State Homeland Security Grant Program and 
the Urban Area Security Initiative currently permits this funding to be 
used to procure medical countermeasures and for other medical 
preparedness and medical surge capacity equipment and activities. 
However, this guidance is developed on an annual basis, and there

[[Page 15524]]

is no guarantee that these uses will be authorized in the future.

                              {time}  1710

  To be clear, this bill does not create a new grant program or 
authorize new funding. It simply ensures that these activities will 
remain allowable uses under SHSGP and UASI.
  As the WMD Commission noted in its report, Mr. Speaker, ``World at 
Risk,'' it is more likely than not that there will be a weapon of mass 
destruction used someplace on Earth by a terrorist group before the end 
of the year 2013, and it's more likely that this weapon will be 
biological, rather than nuclear.
  The expenditures authorized and codified by the bill we are 
considering today can make a difference in the protection of the 
public, including emergency responders, in the event of such an attack, 
and there should be no doubt that grant funding may be used to support 
them now and in the future.
  As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, 
Response and Communications, I consistently find myself in awe of our 
first responders and the sacrifices that they make on behalf of our 
public. In the wake of events such as Hurricane Sandy, I am committed 
to ensuring Congress does all that it can to support those brave men 
and women, Mr. Speaker.
  I am pleased that this legislation is supported by the Emergency 
Services Coalition on Medical Preparedness, which works to ensure that 
we protect the protectors.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                                      Emergency Services Coalition


                                     for Medical Preparedness,

                              Falls Church, VA, November 19, 2012.
     Hon. Gus Bilirakis,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, 
         and Communications, Committee on Homeland Security, House 
         of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Bilirakis: The Emergency Services Coalition 
     for Medical Preparedness is pleased to support H.R. 5997 and 
     the proposed amendment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. 
     The need for home and workplaces of medical caches to protect 
     the emergency services providers in the nation remains high. 
     Recent reports for the congressionally-chartered WMD 
     Commission emphasize the continuing threat posed by 
     biological weapons. Ensuring a resilient emergency services 
     sector is an imperative for a superior response, a major part 
     of this planning is the provision of Medkits pre-event to 
     these professionals.
       Emergency services professionals have unique roles, and are 
     expected to serve and protect even in dangerous 
     circumstances. Having responsible pre-event protections in 
     place is necessary to ensure they can carry out this role. 
     Individual physician-based prescription efforts have provided 
     protection to hundreds of postal employees and federal 
     employees, but not the millions of protectors and their 
     families. Your bill addresses this gap.
       We look forward to working with you and your staff in the 
     passage of the Bill. Thank you for your leadership and 
     continuing support in ``protecting the protectors.''
           Sincerely,
                                                     Tim Stephens,
                                                          Advisor.

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
5997, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act, and yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, although I support H.R. 5997, it is not without 
reservation and concern about the reduced funding this Congress has 
allocated to important Homeland Security Grant Programs over the past 
few years. Due to significantly diminished appropriations for the 
Homeland Security Grant Program, important targeted grant programs such 
as the Metropolitan Medical Response System were consolidated into 
larger umbrella grant programs, such as the Urban Area Security 
Initiative and the State Homeland Security Grant Program in FY 2012.
  I'm concerned that Congress' failure to specify a funding allocation 
for the Metropolitan Medical Response System sends the message that 
medical preparedness is no longer a priority.
  H.R. 5997 authorizes the use of funding awarded under the Urban Area 
Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Grant Program to 
enhance medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass 
distribution of medical countermeasures. All of these activities would 
have been eligible under H.R. 1411, the Metropolitan Medical Response 
Systems Program Act of 2011.
  H.R. 1411, which would have authorized the Metropolitan Medical 
Response System, was introduced by Representative Bilirakis and was 
marked up by the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and 
Communications last year. I would rather be standing here today in 
support of H.R. 1411, which would send a clear message that medical 
preparedness is a priority for this Congress.
  That said, I will support H.R. 5997 because I understand that grant 
resources are limited and that State and local governments must have 
the flexibility to utilize the scarce resources available to improve 
medical preparedness.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, despite my reservations 
regarding this measure, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5997, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Ranking Member, we'll continue to work on getting 
that bill passed. I promise you. That's my bill, and we worked very 
hard. As you said, it was marked up in committee, and we'll continue to 
advocate on behalf, of course, of the MMRS grant program.
  Mr. Speaker, I once again urge Members to support this very important 
bill that ensures medical preparedness activities remain an allowable 
use under Homeland Security Grant Programs.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to debate H.R. 
5997, the ``Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act,'' which amends the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the use of Urban Area 
Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding 
for enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass 
prophylaxis capabilities.
  Moreover, this would involve the development and maintenance of an 
initial pharmaceutical stockpile, including medical kits, and 
diagnostics sufficient to protect first responders, their families, and 
immediate victims from a chemical or biological event.
  As a proud Member of this body and as the Ranking Member on Homeland 
Security Transportation Subcommittee on Transportation, I understand 
the importance of maintaining an unyielding commitment to keeping the 
American homeland safe from weapons of mass destruction by increasing 
our preparedness for dealing with chemical, biological, radiological, 
and nuclear threats, whether they originate from individuals, terrorist 
organizations, and state sponsors of terror, or horrible accidents.
  While much has been done to prepare our first responders for a 
nuclear, chemical or biological incident in the United States, the 
healthcare system in this country is not fully prepared to handle the 
resulting mass casualties that would likely result from such an attack.
  Thousands of lives could potentially be saved if our medical 
personnel are adequately prepared and trained for such an occurrence.
  The Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) provides funding to 
State and local governments to assist in preparing for and responding 
to mass casualty incidents resulting from acts of terrorism, natural 
disasters, and other events.
  Using the grants, jurisdictions develop response plans, conduct 
exercises and training, and acquire medical countermeasures and 
personal protective equipment for dealing with biological events that 
occur on a large scale.
  As it stands, the MMRS program has not been reauthorized or 
appropriated funds due to recent budgetary constraints.
  MMRS Characteristics include: Integrated medical response system; 
detailed system response & operations plans; specially trained 
responders at all levels; specialized response equipment; specialized 
medical equipment and pharmaceutical cache; enhanced medical transport 
and treatment capabilities.
  MMRS has 12 MMRS Capability Focus Areas, which include the following: 
Strengthen Medical Surge; strengthen Mass Prophylaxis; strengthen CBRNE 
Detection, Response, and Decontamination Capabilities; strengthen 
Interoperable Communication Capabilities; strengthen Information 
Sharing and Collaboration Capabilities; expand Regional Collaboration; 
triage and Pre-Hospital Treatment; medical Supplies Management and 
Distribution;

[[Page 15525]]

mass Care (Sheltering, Feeding, and Related Services); emergency Public 
Information and Warning; fatality Management; volunteer Management and 
Donations.
  H.R. 5997 would authorize use of Urban Area Security Initiative 
(UASI) and State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) funding toward 
the enhancement of medical preparedness, medical surgery capacity, and 
mass prophylaxis capabilities.
  This would effectively allow to MMRS program to continue using these 
funds, which provide important measures such as a pharmaceutical 
stockpile, medical kits, and diagnostics that will help to protect 
first responders, their families, and immediate victims from a chemical 
or biological act of terror or accident.
  As Americans, we must ensure that we are adequately prepared for 
whatever challenges that we face in our Nation; and nowhere is that 
more true than with the potential for large-scale disasters.
  Preparing for large and debilitating disasters has become an 
inconvenient but necessary facet of modern America, a task that our 
government has met head on since 9/11. This bill will help to ensure 
that the resources are there in order to make those preparations.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5997, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

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