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Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010

Press Release

Date: July 20, 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Criminal Justice

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Mr. AUSTRIA. I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4842, the Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010. This bipartisan legislation is the first authorization bill for the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security since the Department was created in 2002.

The Science and Technology Directorate is a critical component within the Department of Homeland Security as it works in collaboration with national laboratories, universities and other public and private entities to develop the technologies needed to address our Nation's security needs.

The Homeland Security Committee included an important amendment to this bill. It would add ``medical readiness and community resiliency for health care critical infrastructure'' to the existing criteria for the university-based Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program. In bringing together leading experts and researchers in university-based settings, the Centers of Excellence program has been successful in facilitating the development of homeland security solutions.

While this program does a good job in strengthening

the use of technology and the role of our first responders, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMTs, when it comes to recovering from and responding to a man-made or natural disaster, it currently lacks a distinct focus on medical readiness and community resiliency for existing health care critical infrastructure.

First responders and medical care providers are critical to our Nation's ability to recover from a terrorist attack or from a natural disaster, and they deserve our support and the support of the Department of Homeland Security. In adding medical readiness to the criteria for the university-based Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program, this gap will be addressed, further advancing our country's homeland security initiatives.

Again, I strongly support this important and much needed piece of legislation.

I would like to thank Chairwoman CLARKE and Ranking Member LUNGREN for their hard work as well as Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King.

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