Providing 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. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good and fair rule that provides ample time to discuss this very, very important issue. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and to support the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud the gentleman from California's (Chairman Cox) commitment to first responders and for developing a bill that better prepares our Nation for terrorism.

Since before the terrorist attacks of September 11, experts from across the political spectrum have urged these kinds of reforms that are in this bill. These improvements include clear preparedness standards to guide State expenditures, mutual aid agreements, interoperable equipment and better planning and coordination between first responders at all levels of government.

I also want to applaud the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) for his willingness to carry this bill forward in an open and fair process.

As the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, I can say with confidence that we have a stronger bill today because of the efforts of the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) and the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young).

I particularly want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) for working with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to incorporate two important principles throughout this bill: a commitment to the Nation's all hazards emergency system and minimum funding for all States.

We must remember that first responders have to deal with all kinds of disasters, regardless of the cause, and that our first responder programs must address terrorism in that context. There are no terrorism fire stations in this country. Firefighters respond to everything. The Cox bill recognizes this and ensures that terrorism preparedness is fully compatible with our existing all hazards system.

The second principle acknowledges that every State must have basic response capabilities. I come from a State with two very large metropolitan areas, but I recognize that terrorists can attack outside of these big cities.

Furthermore, if there is a catastrophic attack in a large urban area, local response agencies will be overwhelmed and will require assistance from units across this country, suburban areas as well as rural areas. These units will need proper equipment and training to effectively integrate into a large-scale disaster response.

States need a guaranteed minimum level of funding to meet both these requirements.

I would again like to commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) for his hard work and leadership and urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill.

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