To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit use of certain grant funds for training conducted in conjunction with a national laboratory or research facility.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I might say that this should not be a surprise bill to anybody. This is actually a part of the authorization bill that we already worked on. It has come about as a result of the fact of complaints from local jurisdictions that they were unable to utilize funds in a way that they thought was most effective.

This bill would simply permit recipients of certain FEMA grants to use this funding for training and exercises conducted in conjunction with a national lab or Federal research facility. There's no additional cost. The CBO report shows there's no additional cost. In other words, the bill expands the allowable use of FEMA grants and ensures that emergency managers, first responders, and local governments can use these grant dollars to leverage the expertise of our national labs and research facilities.

We have had plenty of hearings on the viability of our national labs and research facilities and the fact that we need to leverage more, in these tough budget times, their expertise to help us come up with solutions and prepare, among others, first responders to the challenges that we face in these times. With fewer grant dollars available, it's important that State and local governments be able to use them for the greatest public benefit.

As we all know, State and local governments everywhere are also operating under severe budget limitations, and increasing the allowable use of FEMA grants helps these cash-strapped governments to address their emergency needs. Using our existing national assets for training and research is another way to efficiently leverage the scientific expertise available at these facilities.

I just want to correct the record. This is not just cosponsored by two other Members, both of whom are Republicans. It is cosponsored by Representative Stark from California and Representative Lujan from New Mexico. In addition, on the Republican side, Mr. Turner from New York, Mr. Long from Missouri, Mr. Marino from Pennsylvania, Mr. Bilirakis from Florida, and Mr. King from New York.

We have heard not only from entities in the State of California, but I believe also in New York and New Jersey about concerns that they were unable to use their grants in the most efficient way, and absent a clarification of statutory language, FEMA was not going to allow them to participate in this way.

Now, some would ask what examples might we have of how these funds might be used. I will just use my home State of California. The Naval Postgraduate School, which is a Federal entity in Monterey, provides unique training to State and local officials through its Center for Homeland Defense and Security. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is a government-owned, contract-operated facility managed through a contract between the Laboratory Board of Governors and DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration. These national labs can provide a myriad of research and technical support to programs that support State and local emergency responders, things such as risk analysis and security systems evaluation. And just another example, the Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego has substantial capability and interest in helping emergency responders with communications and nuclear detention.

So we are responding in as quick a fashion as we can to complaints that we've heard from local jurisdictions that they were unable to use their FEMA grants in the most effective way in leveraging, as I say, the expertise, the unique expertise of national labs and Federal research facilities. That is the purpose of this legislation. It is a very simple, a one-sentence clarification of the underlying statute. I would hope that we have unanimous support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. King had to leave, and I ask unanimous consent that I control the time of Representative King.

Mr. Speaker, this is a simple bill responding to a simple problem. Actually, this bill undoes redtape that ought not to be there. It leverages the best assets of the Federal Government, working with our first responders in our local communities in ways that they asked us to try and deal with the problem. It's not a fancy bill. It is a simple bill. It is straightforward. And, therefore, I ask for a unanimous vote on this from my colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I'm perplexed that the House is considering H.R. 5843 today. I cannot understand why this bill is on the schedule. It was introduced just over a month ago and has not been vetted by the committee. Why are we giving expedited attention to a bill that has just two cosponsors, both of whom are Republican? Whatever the problem it purports to solve has not been the subject of so much as a Member- level briefing, let alone a hearing or a markup.

Section 208(a)(13) of the Homeland Security Act already allows the Department to approve the spending of grant funds on training by national labs. Without so much as a hearing where the committee can take testimony on this matter, it is hard to justify taking up precious House floor time on this bill, especially in a week where we must take urgent action on Pell Grants and highway funding. So instead, I choose to use this time to discuss the dwindling Federal support for homeland security activities, a far more timely concern for State, local, and tribal authorities than H.R. 5843.

In the wake of the September 11 attack, as a government, we committed to safeguarding our homeland by building and preserving preparedness capabilities. Yet since the beginning of the 112th Congress, that commitment seems to have dangerously wavered.

In just 2 short years, vital Homeland Security Grant Programs have been significantly cut, and, as a result, the level of preparedness fostered by the programs, such as the Urban Areas Security Initiative, Port Security Grant Program, Transit Security Grant Program, and the Metropolitan Medical Response System, have been undermined. Given that the authorizations for many of these targeted programs are expiring, a far better use of our time would be to reauthorize the Transit Security Grant Program or the Metropolitan Medical Response program.

Mr. Speaker, before I reserve my time, I would note for the record that there are two other much more plausible candidates for consideration by the full House that were introduced by the gentleman from California. One addressed the cybersecurity threat and was ordered reported in April. The other authorizes DHS's chemical facility security program and is pending on the Union Calendar.

Mr. Speaker, speaking of the Union Calendar, I would also note that this bill is receiving expedited consideration while four measures ordered reported by the Committee on Homeland Security remain on the Union Calendar without action.

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

Mr. Speaker, I'm prepared to close. I don't have any more speakers.

Mr. Speaker, we owe it to our Nation's first responders to ensure that they have the resources needed to perform their jobs and to get it right when we alter the allowable uses for those funds. Getting it right in this body requires deliberation and debate in the committee of jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the bill we are considering today failed to receive such deliberation or debate. Therefore, it is hard to say whether it is responsive to the needs of first responders. What I can say for a fact is reauthorizing key Homeland Security grant programs would bolster preparedness and be responsive to the needs of our first responders.

And with that, 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 move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5843) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit use of certain grant funds for training conducted in conjunction with a national laboratory or research facility.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill, introduced by Mr. Lungren, is a simple statutory clarification that allows State and local governments and emergency management officials to use existing FEMA State Homeland Security Grant Program and Urban Area Security Initiative funds to work with national labs where appropriate.

H.R. 5843 amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 by inserting a clarification into the ``allowable use'' section of the Homeland Security Grant Program section. Clarifying this ``allowable use'' under the grants program will allow these State and local first responders to leverage the expertise at national labs for research and training purposes.

This is a simple, solid, good government measure that will help maximize the use of limited Federal grant dollars. This bill will allow State and local officials to cut through FEMA red tape, which makes it harder for first responders to work with the Federal national labs and make the best decisions for their homeland security needs. This bill will eliminate hoops that State and locals have to go through to gain access to this expertise and training.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lungren) for his work on this issue and so many others on the committee.

I urge passage of the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud, at this time, to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Lungren), who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies; and during his time on the committee has contributed as much as, if not more than, any other Member, and, in fact, returned to Congress for the purpose of doing all he could to enhance our homeland security.