Provididng for Consideration of H.R. 1544, Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2005
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1544, FASTER AND SMARTER FUNDING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - May 12, 2005)
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 269. This rule would provide for the consideration of H.R. 1544, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2005.
In the years since 9/11, our Nation has spent billions of dollars to strengthen our firefighters, police, and emergency personnel. These hard-working Americans known as our first responders are the frontlines of our Nation's homeland defense. They keep our communities safe, and they respond when disaster strikes.
The bill we will be debating today is a good piece of legislation and is designed with our first responders in mind. It does several things. First, it reforms the grant funding system that most States, including my home State of Alabama, believe is ineffective.
For example, a 2004 committee report found that nearly 85 percent of the grants distributed to States have not yet been utilized. And because current law requires a minimal level of funding given to States, many States receive a lump sum of money from DHS without a clear understanding of how to spend it.
Three-and-a-half years after 9/11 I find this unacceptable. Yet these facts speak to the need for a bipartisan reform which will ensure taxpayers know what they are getting.
Second, H.R. 1544 helps the Federal Government allocate first responder funding based on actual risk. Under this legislation,
States like Alabama would be required to submit an annual State homeland security plan to the Federal Government. This plan would outline the State's projected risks to 16 economic sectors, such as agriculture, the number of military bases and its transportation infrastructure. States meeting these risk criteria would be eligible for a greater funding.
For our rural areas, this could mean new funding sources. For example, States like Alabama could see increased funding for agro-terror initiatives. States with a heavy military industrial base could receive additional assistance to protect communities near bases, and of course, ports like Mobile would continue to receive much-needed support for cargo security initiatives.
I do want to acknowledge that H.R. 1544 changes the minimum level of guaranteed funding to each State, and while some of my colleagues have called this a cut, I like to think of it as better use of limited homeland security dollars.
We all know of instances where the Federal Government funds State projects which, in reality, have little or nothing to do with securing our homeland. This bill will help correct that situation.
I also want to make clear what this bill does not do. Essential programs like FIRE grants, COPS, grants bulletproof vests funding, or secure school initiatives for local police are not affected. These programs have provided rural areas, like my district, with millions of dollars for new safety equipment and vehicles, and I will continue to do my part to ensure they are fully funded each year.
H.R. 1544 is bipartisan, both in spirit and intent. Every Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, both Republicans and Democrats, have signed on to this bill as original cosponsors, and the committee reported it out by a unanimous voice vote.
The bill also closely resembles the 9/11 reform legislation passed by the House during the 108th Congress and has been endorsed by the 9/11 Commission and a majority of first responder groups nationwide.
I am pleased to support this legislation and ask for support of this rule so the House can consider it today.
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) for his ongoing efforts to advance this legislation.
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