Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act of 2017

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3284, the Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, in a crisis like the attacks of September 11, 2001, our Nation's first responders--police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel--take on enormous responsibilities. They contain the situation, care for the injured, and keep people safe while putting their own lives at risk. These weighty responsibilities are central in terrorism-related crises.

Today there is an appreciation of the importance of the whole-of- Nation response where efforts among diverse stakeholders, including nontraditional first responders, are well coordinated and thoroughly planned.
The Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series is a program where one-day events are hosted across the country that bring people together who play a critical role in keeping their city's residents safe during a terrorist attack. The multicity series is a collaborative effort among Federal, State, local and private sector entities that empowers cities to provide the best response to an organized, coordinated, and multisite terrorist attack.

One of these workshops was conducted in Los Angeles, near my district. I represent the Port of Los Angeles--America's port. It touches every congressional district and faces a variety of threats that require coordinated preparation and response from Federal, State, and local agencies.

Enactment of H.R. 3284, the Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act, would codify this important program in law. Specifically, H.R. 3284 requires the FEMA Administrator, in consultation with the Directors of the National Counterterrorism Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to establish a Joint Counterterrorism Workshop Series.

Importantly, this bill requires that, at the conclusion of each event, the FEMA Administrator, in consultation with the NCTC and FBI Directors and officials from the participant city hosting the workshop series, provide all participants with an after-action report that includes key findings about lessons learned and best practices from the event, and potential mitigation strategies and resources to address gaps identified during the event.

I strongly support this counterterrorism training program, and I believe that Congress should show its support for the program by enacting this legislation. I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3284 is an important piece of legislation that has strong support on both sides of the aisle. It empowers officials and individuals on the local level to come together to make their communities more secure.
This workshop series helps address new, evolving terrorist threats.

It also enhances the ability of State and local jurisdictions to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terror attacks here in the homeland.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3284, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source