Rep. Gillibrand Pushes on House Floor for 9/11 Commission Recommendations Bill

Rep. Gillibrand Pushes on House Floor for 9/11 Commission Recommendations Bill

Later today the House of Representatives is expected to vote on and pass the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 (H.R. 1). As a lead sponsor of the bill Congresswoman Gillibrand (NY-20) has played an active roll in advocating for its passage.

Yesterday Congresswoman Gillibrand met privately with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 9/11 Commission Members Lee Hamilton and Tim Roemer, Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson and House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey to discuss the legislation before holding a press conference to urge public support for the bipartisan measure.

Later today Rep. Gillibrand will appear on the House floor to speak in the bill's favor. Below is the text of her remarks as prepared for delivery. [Video of the speech will be broadcast via C-SPAN later today and available for public use.]

Madam Speaker, Chairman Thompson, thank you for the opportunity to address this crucial issue.

I am proud that the 110th Congress has put homeland security as its highest priority and will ensure that our country will finally get the security investments it needs.

In 2004, the 9/11 Commission provided us with a non-partisan assessment of our current state of readiness. And while a few of their recommendations have been enacted, this Administration and the previous Congressional leadership did not make these recommendations a funding priority.

The bill we will pass today addresses many of the concerns of the 9/11 Commission, including one of the biggest threats to New York State.

Two of the busiest ports in the world - both in Hong Kong - already scan 100% of their cargo containers. There is no reason that all ships destined for the United States shouldn't be held to the same standard.

The bill we are voting on today gives the world's large ports 3 years to implement a system to scan for radiation and density on all containers coming to this country.

This impacts my district, in particular, because my district geographically surrounds the Port of Albany. If a container with radioactive materials came up the Hudson from New York City and was unloaded in Albany, it would have a devastating effect on our entire region. Such a risk will be addressed by this legislation.

This bill is also important to me as a mother and to all parents in my district and our nation. Every time we travel by plane and bring our children, we are concerned about safety. This bill will allow parents and grandparents to know our children will be safer when we travel by plane by requiring 100% of air cargo to be scanned by the end of 2009, as well as providing funding for anti-bomb detection for bags and passengers.

I am also pleased that this bill reflects the fact that our "first responders" indeed are our "first preventors." As we all remember on 9/11 many firemen and police officers lost their lives because they couldn't communicate with each other. Up until now, we have not yet invested sufficiently to improve such communication capabilities. This bill addresses this concern, and also recognizes that to prevent disasters and save lives; our first preventors need to be able to communicate effectively. Grants will now be available to local departments to fund the development and purchase of needed communications equipment.

For my constituents back home and our great State of New York, another important provision of this bill is to provide more homeland security funding to those most at risk of an attack.

Under current law, States such as New York actually receive less homeland security grants per capita than other States with far less risk of terrorist attack. This bill will change the allocation by prioritizing States at most risk.

The highest priority will no longer be the number of citizens, rather the amount of risk those citizens face.

This means that New York State, including my district, will likely receive more funding for our ports and infrastructure.

Further, if you speak with any homeland security expert on the greatest risks to our nation, they would tell you that their gravest concern is the lack of control over the excess nuclear material that remains mostly unguarded in the former Soviet Union. This bill will provide muscle and funding to better secure this dangerous material to keep it out of the hands of terrorists.

The US Congress must always make the safety of the American people its number one concern - I am confident that we will be passing a bill today that will do just that.

http://gillibrand.house.gov/pr011107_2.shtml