Stabenow: Senate Votes to Make America Safer

Press Release

Senate approves Improving America's Security Act of 2007; Bill includes critical compatible communications grant program

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced Senate passage of the Improving America's Security Act of 2007 (S.4). This bill will implement many of the recommendations outlined by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission on the steps our country needs to take to better prepare for and protect against major emergencies, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. The U.S. House of Representatives passed similar legislation earlier this year, and the bills will now be referred to a conference committee.

"The 9/11 Commission did a great service to our country by asking the tough questions," said Stabenow. "The President and Congress have the responsibility to make tough decisions to fund and implement these recommendations, and I'm glad the Senate did so today."

The bipartisan bill would provide risk-based homeland security grants to states to restrict terrorists' ability to enter the United States, improve information sharing among federal, state, and local officials, and create a dedicated interoperable communications grants program for first responders - an issue on which Stabenow has been a leading advocate in the Senate.

"Because of the communications failures on 9-11, too many police and firefighters ran into the Twin Towers when they should have been running out," said Stabenow. "This grant program is a good first step, but I will continue this fight until first responders across Michigan and through out our entire country have the equipment they need and the ability to communicate effectively and reliably when emergencies happen."

In both the 108th and 109th Congresses, Stabenow repeatedly introduced amendments to fully implement the 9/11 Commission recommendation to secure updated, compatible communications equipment America's first responders need to keep our families safe and respond to threats. Each time those amendments failed on mostly party line votes.

A June 2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors survey found that 94% of cities surveyed do not have interoperable capability between police, fire and emergency medical services, and 60% of cities do not have interoperable capability with their state emergency operations center. The same study found that 80% of cities don't have interoperable communications with the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice.

Section 301 of the Improving America's Security Act of 2007, Dedicated Funding to Achieve Emergency Communications Operability and Interoperable Communications, authorizes the following for the first five years of the program: $400 million in 2008, $500 million in 2009, $600 million in 2010, $800 million in 2011, and $1 billion in 2012.

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