House Passes Crucial Homeland Security Bill

Press Release

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2892, the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Conference Report, which was authored by Congressman Rothman and fellow members of the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee. This spending measure determines all federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including, but not limited to, supporting our first responders, investing in border security and securing our nation's mass transit, our sea, rail and airports.

Speaking from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during debate of the bill, Rothman told the Congress "I represent one of the most densely populated regions in the most densely populated state in the country, which contains multiple high risk terrorist targets. So, I understand well how important it is to make this funding available to those working to protect our country…the FY2010 DHS Appropriations bill honors the commitments we have made to provide our first responders with the best training and equipment available, and to keep our ports safe and our borders secure."

The bill makes vital investments in all aspects of homeland security: $10.1 billion for Customs and Border Protection (including enough to fully support 20,163 Border Patrol agents -- an increase of 6,000 since 2006), $887 million for Urban Area Security Grants to help high-risk urban communities prevent and recover from terrorist attacks, $7.7 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), $8.8 billion for the Coast Guard, and $103.4 million for risk-based chemical facility security. The bill also reauthorizes the E-Verify program--which allows employers to quickly and accurately confirm their worker's immigration status--for an additional three years.

In addition to these key national priorities, the bill directs funding to a number of important initiatives in New Jersey, including:

·$1,000,000 for the city of Newark's Emergency Operations Center Interoperability Equipment.

·$1,000,000 for the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center in Morris County.

·$500,000 for the township of Old Bridge's Emergency Operations Center.

·$353,000 for Union County's Emergency Operations Center.

·$300,000 for the city of Brigantine's Emergency Operations Center.

·$300,000 for pre-disaster mitigation in the city of Trenton.

·$300,000 for the city of Hackensack's Emergency Operations Center.

·$250,000 for the Passaic County Emergency Operations Center Renovation Project.

·$247,000 for the township of South Orange Village's Emergency Operations Center.

"Since the day I first joined my fellow Homeland Security Subcommittee members in drafting this bill, I fought to ensure that New Jersey would receive its share of federal dollars," said Rothman. "These are all projects that will help New Jersey first responders save lives in the event of a terrorist action or natural disaster. I am so proud to support these brave men and women by providing them--through this legislation--with the funding they need to do their dangerous and critical jobs safely and effectively." H.R. 2892 passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 307-114 on October 15, 2009. The Conference Report is currently awaiting final passage by the U.S. Senate and is expected to be signed by the President shortly thereafter.

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