Shuster's Bill to Remove Fema from DHS Approved by Committe, Has Bipartisan Support

SHUSTER'S BILL TO REMOVE FEMA FROM DHS APPROVED BY COMMITTEE, HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

Congressman Bill Shuster, the sponsor of legislation to remove the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), released the following statement after his legislation was passed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today. The RESPOND Act (Restoring Emergency Services to Protect Our Nation from Disasters Act of 2006) has bipartisan support and is cosponsored by 8 of the 11 members of the Select Katrina Committee, including Chairman Tom Davis.

H.R. 5316, the RESPOND Act, strengthens and restores the national emergency management system by restoring FEMA's independence and elevating it to a cabinet level agency. The bill strengthens FEMA's essential capabilities and requires the development of a comprehensive emergency preparedness system to ensure the nation is prepared to respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the effects of all hazards.

"By removing FEMA from DHS, the RESPOND Act gives emergency management the focus it requires and frees the Secretary to concentrate his efforts on securing our borders and preventing terrorist attacks," said Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Shuster.

"If we just treat the symptoms of FEMA's decline by putting it back together and strengthening it within DHS - but ignore the reason why it was pulled apart and weakened - then we will guarantee another failed disaster response in the future.

"Yet simply pulling FEMA out of DHS does not guarantee success. We also need to strengthen FEMA's basic capabilities and to improve emergency preparedness at all levels of government.

"Our bill accomplishes these goals by restoring and enhancing FEMA's professional workforce, disaster response teams, emergency operations centers, logistics, communications capability, and oversight and accountability," Shuster said.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/pa09_shuster/femabillpassescommittee.html