Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York, Congressman Higgins. The Urban Area Security Initiative is administered by the Department of Homeland Security. It's a critical program focused on enhancing regional preparedness in high-risk areas by fostering better communication and collaboration among local first responders. These grants provide local authorities, first responders, and law enforcement with the resources they need to prepare for, prevent, and recover from attacks and other disasters impacting communities across America.

This Homeland Security appropriations bill is dangerous as it restricts the initiative to allow only 10 urban areas to be eligible for the program and its funding. This would cause more than 50 cities, including Atlanta, to lose funds.

Mr. Chair, as we all know, terrorists do not limit their attack to only 10 cities. We should not leave Americans who do not live in these 10 cities unnecessarily and arbitrarily vulnerable to disaster. My home State of Georgia greatly benefits from the Urban Area Security Initiative grants.

In 2010, the Atlanta urban area received $13.5 million in grants. Atlanta, one of the most populous and fast-growing cities in the region and home to the world's busiest airport, and already the scene of one terrorist attack during the 1996 Olympics, would lose critical funding under this bill.

The Fusion Center in Atlanta not only benefits the metropolitan area, but the entire State of Georgia. The Fusion Center is an information hub for the State. Local law enforcement and officials collect suspicious activity reports and send them to Federal law enforcement officials.

In the Fourth District of Georgia, the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Corps recently received an Urban Area Security Initiative grant from FEMA, which will enable it to operate a mobile canteen rehab unit that supplies food and beverages for firefighters and emergency responders during lengthy emergency incidents. The funds have also been used to support citizens corps and community efforts towards preparedness and community response efforts.

These funds are critical to helping Georgia develop a regional exercise plan, develop annexes to include tactical operations for use during an evacuation and for emergency public information.

Mr. Chairman, I stand here in support of this bipartisan amendment that would remove this arbitrary restriction on this program from this bill.

I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, which would not add one penny to the debt or deficit.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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