Expressing Support For Prompt Response To Attempted Terrorist Attack In Times Square

Floor Speech

* Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1320, expressing support for the vigilance and prompt response of the citizens and law enforcement agencies in New York and Connecticut to the attempted terrorist attack in Times Square on May 1, 2010, their exceptional professionalism and investigative work following the attempted attack, and their consistent commitment to preparedness for and collective response to terrorism.

* I would like to acknowledge Speaker PELOSI and Chairman THOMPSON for their leadership in bringing this important resolution to the floor. I would also like to thank my colleagues Congressman MCMAHON, Congressman HIMES, and Congressman HALL, who authored this legislation.

* As Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communication, Preparedness, and Response, I am an original cosponsor of this resolution. I am pleased to join my colleagues in recognizing the New York City first responders who safely evacuated hundreds of people from Times Square and responded in a prompt and effective manner, as the result of extensive terrorism preparedness efforts that are supported, in part, by the Department of Homeland Security. H. Res. 1320 recognizes the efforts of these men and women as well as the action of two alert citizens, Mr. Lance Orton and Mr. Duane Jackson, who notified the New York Police Department about a suspicious vehicle that was parked on 45th Street in Times Square. It is due to the exceptional professionalism and investigative work by the New York Police Department, the New York Police Department Bomb Squad, the Fire Department of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Customs and Border Protection, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, and other law enforcement agencies in Connecticut that a suspect was apprehended only 48 hours following the attempted bombing.

* In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I support this bill because it is important to recognize and honor the men and women who put themselves in harm's way all day, every day, doing the important work to keep our homeland safe. I am proud to stand with my colleagues today in support of this resolution.

* Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1320.

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