Department Of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (Senate - July 26, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, as the Presiding Officer knows, in a short while this evening, the Senate will consider the conference report, which has brought together the so-called 9/11 legislation passed by both the House and the Senate. I am very pleased, as I will say when that matter comes up, that the conferees have reached an agreement, because I believe this bill will greatly enhance the security of the American people, protecting them from natural disasters and also, God forbid, from a terrorist attack. This conference report will enact remaining unenacted or inadequately enacted recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Specifically in regard to this amendment, the conference report will create, if favorably adopted, a new interoperability emergency communications grant program to help Federal, State, and local responders achieve comprehensive interoperability.

My colleagues know the need from which this amendment arises, and, in fact, some of the tragic experiences from which it arises. On September 11 at the World Trade Center and the Towers, we know as a matter of fact that lives were lost because the heroic emergency response personnel--the firefighters, the police officers, the emergency medical personnel--simply could not communicate with one another because their systems did not allow them to do that. During Hurricane Katrina, there was a breakdown because of the catastrophic impact of that natural disaster in the very operability of communications.

We have heard from experts on how best respond to these disasters and of the crying need for investment in making our communications systems interoperable. Our State and local emergency response officials, elected officials, tell us this is a crying need. The fact is it is a need that is very hard, particularly for local governments, to satisfy. Anybody who has ever dealt with a municipal budget looks at the budget of the firefighters, the police departments--these are personnel-intensive budgets. There is not enough left over for what might be called capital investments, equipment investments. So this need for interoperable communications, which will save lives, without question, will simply not be met fast enough if we leave it to the local governments.

Now, in the 9/11 Commission bill which we will consider later, this interoperability emergency communications grant program is not only created but authorizes the expenditure of $1.6 billion for this purpose over the next 4 years. This Homeland Security appropriations bill before us makes a substantial increase over the President's budget in funding for homeland security, $2 1/4 billion. It is absolutely the right thing to do. It is absolutely the necessary thing to do to protect the American people from disaster and/or a terrorist attack. However, the bill before us does not include any money for interoperability of communications at the local level.

Perhaps because this conference report we are going to consider tonight was not adopted when the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee reached its judgments, I will say for the record that the Senate itself earlier this year, in the Senate budget resolution, supported $400 million in dedicated funding for this program, with passage of that budget resolution, in anticipation, I believe, of this new program.

What this amendment, offered by the Senator from Maine and myself and the Senator from Missouri, does is to provide $100 million to fund a first payment to fund this new interoperability emergency communications grant program. It is a kind of downpayment at a meaningful level; not as much as is necessary, but a beginning to this program. The authorization in the conference report is important. It takes a critical step forward. But it must be funded, or it will not mean anything to our first responders and those of the rest of us in America who depend on them for our protection.

I wish to note as an indication of the urgent need for this kind of funding that the following first responder groups have written and expressed their support for this amendment: the International Association of Firefighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International, the Congressional Fire Service Institute, and the National Volunteer Fire Council. All of these folks representing millions of first responders around America are asking for this funding.

I will report to my colleagues that the House has included $50 million as a first payment to fund this interoperability communications fund in its Homeland Security appropriations bill. I hope my colleagues will help us do our part, now that we are about to authorize the fund later tonight by adopting this amendment.

I ask when the vote is taken on this amendment that it be taken by the yeas and nays.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source