Portman, Sinema Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand FEMA's Capacity to Help Communities Address Technological Hazards

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), introduced the bipartisan Technological Hazards Preparedness and Training Act of 2022 to expand the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) preparedness programming capacity to help more communities address technological hazards, including from radiological, chemical, and other emergent threats. The legislation would enhance our national preparedness against such hazards by expanding the scope of the FEMA Technological Hazards Division (THD).

This bill would authorize preparedness programs to expand support to all communities containing technological hazards, require FEMA to identify communities in each state with the highest risk and vulnerability to a technical hazard, and ensure that state governments are made aware of the threat and that they have access to technical assistance and training from FEMA to address the threat.

"Since its inception in 1979, FEMA has been tasked to provide preparedness and training for the communities surrounding nuclear power plants using fees paid by the utilities. However, there are still hundreds of other communities across the country that contain technological hazards but have no access to this specialized FEMA support. This bipartisan legislation will provide the authority and funding to ensure the most vulnerable communities in Ohio and across the country have access to the preparedness and training necessary to keep our families safe from technical hazards." said Portman.

"Strengthening FEMA's capacity to help state and local governments address technological hazards will protect Arizona communities from threats and enhance preparedness when dealing with future emergencies," said Sinema.

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