First Responder Anti-Terrorism Training Resources Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 3978) to amend the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept and use gifts for otherwise authorized activities of the Center for Domestic Preparedness that are related to preparedness for and response to terrorism, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of concurring in the Senate amendments to H.R. 3978, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As chairwoman of the Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee, I am pleased to join the original sponsor of this legislation, the ranking member of that very subcommittee, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, in strong support of the First Responder Anti- Terrorism Training Resources Act.

Mr. Rogers' district is home to the Center for Domestic Preparedness, also known as the Center throughout my comments, and one of the Nation's premier training sites. At the Center, thousands of first responders from all 50 States receive hands-on training for real world incidents involving chemical, biological, explosive, radiological and other hazardous materials.

As we saw last week on nationwide TV when a ruptured pipeline sent a ball of fire into the neighborhoods of San Bruno, California, completely blowing to pieces four homes, killing four people, in addition to four people who are still missing, this training is vital, and we must continue to find creative ways to strengthen it.

I am pleased that the legislation before us today will enhance the training of our first responders. Given the Center's leading role in all-hazards training, the facility often receives offers of resources and donations, including training displays, emergency response equipment, and guest lectures.

The ability to accept, process, and utilize these donations and gifts would strengthen the Center's ability to offer high-quality emergency response training, as well as in difficult times reduce costs for the Center itself.

Pursuant to current rules and law, the Center for Domestic Preparedness currently lacks the legal authority to accept these types of resources, gifts, and services. The enactment of H.R.

3978 would permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept and use gifted items for authorized activities of the Center for Domestic Preparedness that are related to preventing, preparing for, protecting against, or responding to all-hazards.

The legislation further directs the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, to report annually to Congress on any gifts that were accepted and how they might contribute to the Center's mission. The report must also describe the amount of federally funded savings that were generated from the acceptance of these gifts, which is very important as we look for ways to trim costs. The bill also amends the Homeland Security Act to authorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to accept and use gifts, donations, and services. For these reasons, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Senate amendments to H.R. 3978.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, September 14, 2010.

Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Thompson: I write to you regarding the Senate

amendment to H.R. 3978, the ``First Responder Anti-Terrorism

Training Resources Act''.

We note that the Senate amendment to H.R. 3978 contains

provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure. Given that the House is

scheduled to call up the measure without formal referral of

the bills to committees of jurisdiction, I request an

acknowledgement that nothing waives, reduces, or otherwise

affects the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation

and Infrastructure over H.R. 3978.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure's jurisdictional interest in the Congressional

Record during consideration of the measure in the House.

I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass

this important legislation.

Sincerely,

James L. Oberstar, M.C.

Chairman.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the CDP--the Center for Domestic Preparedness--and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center are law enforcement training organizations for numerous Federal, State and local agencies, and they provide vital preparation to our law enforcement community. In fact, it could definitely benefit from the use of these additional resources. By allowing DHS-supported training centers to accept these gifts, this legislation will help tap into the generosity of the American people and the companies to enhance the training for thousands of first responders. In turn, I expect it will save a significant amount of taxpayer dollars.

I encourage my colleagues to support this important homeland security legislation, and I commend Mr. Rogers for his efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Budget Enforcement Resolution, I submit those changes in law resulting from legislation approved or filed by the Committee on Homeland Security that will help achieve deficit reduction by enhancing efficiency, accountability and oversight, while eliminating waste, abuse, mismanagement, and fraud in Government programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Below are measures within the Committee's jurisdiction that have, to date, been approved by the House during this Congress and reflect the Committee's efforts to promote efficiency, government reform and result in budgetary savings:

H.R. 553, the Reducing Over-Classification Act, which creates a standard for formatting finished intelligence and eliminates redundant classification efforts.

H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act, which streamlines management at TSA, requires risk-based allocation of resources, and promotes operational efficiency.

H.R. 4842, the Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010, which establishes new internal controls, more robust standards, and reforms for all of the research and development conducted by both the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.

H.R. 3978, the First Responder Anti-Terrorism Training Resources Act, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to accept gifts for its first responder training centers, thereby alleviating need for the Department to purchase certain equipment or material.

H.R. 3980, the Redundancy Elimination and Enhanced Performance for Preparedness Grants Act, which requires the identification of redundant rules and regulations and a plan to eliminate redundant reports and regulations.

H.R. 1148, a bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a program in the maritime environment for the mobile biometric identification of suspected individuals, including terrorists, to enhance border security, which promotes government efficiency by streamlining processing, prosecution, and deportation of suspected individuals.

H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009, which controls spending by requiring that grants be awarded on a merit and risk based basis, streamlines the regulatory requirements for securing chemical and water treatment facilities and, by enhancing the security of such facilities, mitigates against the potentially astronomical costs associated with the response to and recovery from a successful terrorist attack on such a facility.

H.R. 1617, the Department of Homeland Security Component Privacy Officer Act of 2009, which establishes a privacy officer in each Department of Homeland Security component, thus enhancing efficiency by reducing the potential for the production of regulations or guidelines that are subject to challenge under privacy laws.

H.R. 4748, the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act of 2010, which enhances the efficiency of governmental efforts to prevent the illegal trafficking of drugs across the northern border by requiring a strategy stating the specific roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies.

H.R. 1178, a bill to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the use of Civil Air Patrol personnel and resources to support homeland security missions, and for other purposes, which requires a report to Congress focusing on the feasibility and cost effectiveness of using the Civil Air Patrol to supplement Departmental air resources involved in border enforcement and other homeland security missions.

H.R. 1665, the Coast Guard Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, which eliminates massive cost overruns and potential future costs overruns for Coast Guard acquisitions.

H.R. 3619, the Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, which creates an acquisition directorate to provide guidance and oversight for Coast Guard acquisitions, the result of which will be cost savings.

Madam Speaker, the measures I have listed display the Committee on Homeland Security's commitment to advancing legislation that seeks to reduce the national deficit by promoting government efficiency while focusing on our primary mission of pursuing legislation that enhances the security of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3978) to amend the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept and use gifts for otherwise authorized activities of the Center for Domestic Preparedness that are related to preparedness for and response to terrorism, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days with which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3978, which is sponsored by my friend from Alabama (Mr. Rogers). I am pleased to serve with Mr. Rogers on the Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee. He is the ranking member and works with us in a very bipartisan manner. I thank him for his service.

Mr. Rogers' district is home to the Center For Domestic Preparedness. It is the premier training site for our Nation's first responders, and it is the Department of Homeland Security's only federally chartered weapons of mass destruction training center.

DHS has facilitated training at the center for thousands of first responders from all 50 States, territories and the District of Columbia. Given the center's prominence in the first responders' community, it often receives offers of gifts and donations from a variety of sources. These donations and services include training, displays, emergency response equipment, and offers of guest lectures.

These donations and gifts would strengthen the center's ability to offer high-quality emergency response training.

Unfortunately, the center currently lacks the legal authority at this time to accept these types of services. H.R. 3978 will permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept and use gifts for otherwise authorized activities of the Center for Domestic Preparedness that are related to preparedness for and in response to terrorism.

The legislation further directs DHS to report annually to the Congress on any gifts that were accepted in the preceding year and how they have contributed to the center's mission. Other DHS-supported training centers are permitted to accept gifts and donations, and it is past due to give the Center for Domestic Preparedness the same authority.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3978.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this important Homeland Security legislation. The gentleman from Alabama has worked very hard, has been very dedicated in this piece of legislation, and I would ask all my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of final passage of H.R. 3978, the First Responder Anti-Terrorism Training Resources Act.

Thanks to strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, we are here today with legislation that provides the CDP with authority to accept donations of items such as railcars, subway cars, emergency response equipment, and other property and services that would help bolster training.

I introduced this bill last November to ensure that first responders who train at East Alabama's Center For Domestic Preparedness have access to all available resources that will strengthen their training activities.

This bill was passed by the House on December 15, 2009 by a vote of 413-1. On August 5, the bill passed the Senate with an amendment by unanimous consent.

I would like to thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King as well as Senators Lieberman and Collins for their support of the bill in moving it forward in both chambers.

The CDP, located in my district in Anniston, Alabama, delivers one- of-a-kind, hands-on training to America's emergency responders. Training at the CDP is fully funded by the Department of Homeland Security. State and local responders from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories have trained at this center.

Like other training centers, the CDP often receives offers of donations to assist their training courses. However, the CDP does not have the legal authority to accept those donations, and has been forced to turn them down in the past. My bill fixes this problem.

As amended by the Senate, the bill ensures that CDP may accept donations in support of its entire all-hazards missions. The bill also includes language to ensure that no gifts are accepted if they are determined to compromise the integrity or the appearance of integrity of a program of the department or an individual associated with the department, and the annual report to Congress on donations accepted must be made available to the public.

The bill would also authorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to accept gifts under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as it has been doing under the 2004 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

Simply put, this legislation is a win-win for our first responders, the American taxpayer and the Center for Domestic Preparedness; and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3978, a bill that would permit the Center for Domestic Preparedness and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to accept gifts and donations in order to better train our nation's first responders. As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I was pleased that H.R. 3978 received broad bi-partisan support in the House and passed the Senate unanimously. I urge my colleagues to support the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3978.

Madam Speaker, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Center for Domestic Preparedness (Center) is the nation's leading all-hazards first-responder training center. The Center trains thousands of first responders and is especially well-known for its weapons of mass destruction training facility. It is of significant interest to the Committee and many of us have visited the campus to see the important training that takes place.

The Center often receives offers of donated goods and services, such as training displays, response equipment, and trailers. These donations would allow the Center to offer stronger training opportunities at a lower cost to the Department of Homeland Security and the American taxpayer. The Center, however, does not have the legal authority to accept gifts that would enhance its ability to deliver superior training.

The Senate Amendment to H.R. 3978 would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit the Center to receive donated gifts and services that are related to preventing, preparing for, protecting against, or responding to all-hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters. The legislation further calls on the Secretary of Homeland Security to annually report to Congress on the gifts accepted, how the gifts contribute to the mission of the Center and the amount of Federal savings that were generated from the acceptance of the gifts.

The bill also amends the Homeland Security Act to authorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to accept and use gifts, donations, and services.

Mr. Speaker, the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3978 will pay immediate dividends for our first responder community by enhancing their training with more resources. The Committee will continue to support these important training centers and the brave work of our first responders. I support the passage of the Senate

Amendment to H.R. 3978 and encourage my colleagues to support it as well.