NEWS
U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Chairman
Contact: Steve Hansen (Communications Director) (202) 225-7749
Justin Harclerode (Communications Assistant) (202) 226-8767
To: National Desk/Transportation Reporter
May 9, 2001
Bush Administration's Terrorism Preparedness Plan
Praised By Congressional Members;
FEMA Director Allbaugh Outlines New Proposal
Washington, D.C. - The Bush Administration's new proposal for responding to
domestic terrorist attacks received bipartisan praise from Congressional
Members during a hearing by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Joe Allbaugh, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), outlined for the Subcommittee some of the agency's priorities in
dealing with domestic terrorist acts. Allbaugh said he would soon establish
an Office of National Preparedness to coordinate federal programs and assist
local government in responding to terrorist attacks.
"Most importantly, it provides a known and flexible framework under which
local, state and federal officials can orchestrate their response to a
disaster or emergency and make the most effective use of all available
resources," Allbaugh said. "FEMA has developed a special annex to the
(Federal Response Plan) to address the unique requirements for responding to
a terrorist incident."
"Arguably, this is where the federal response to terrorism should have been
coordinated from the beginning," said U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH), the
Chairman of the Subcommittee. "FEMA was created for emergency management.
It has existing relationships with the response community and should
leverage those relationships to coordinate this response effort.
"It is my understanding that this proposal is supported by the President's
cabinet officials," LaTourette said. "I also understand that it will not
result in relocating any existing programs. Each agency will continue to
administer its programs. The difference will be that policy will begin
where it belongs - in the White House, not in a single agency."
U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, said he was "extremely pleased the Bush
Administration's new plan includes many of the concepts found in H.R. 525" -
the Preparedness Against Domestic Terrorism Act of 2001.
"I think it was very clear today that there is a bipartisan consensus for us
to modify H.R. 525 to support the new proposal by the Bush Administration,"
Young said.
Background Information
Six years after the Oklahoma City bombing, federal domestic terrorism
preparedness training programs remain fragmented, uncoordinated,
inefficient, and confusing. Past Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee hearings and government-sanctioned studies have highlighted this
dangerous deficiency, yet more than 40 federal departments and agencies
maintain separate programs to assist emergency responders in dealing with
the consequences of terrorism. These programs primarily help train state
and local officials to recognize and respond to a terrorist attack or create
federal response teams that can assist state and local officials should an
attack occur. As of late 2000 the federal government offered almost 100
separate federal terrorism preparedness training courses and had created
over 100 federal terrorism response teams.
H.R. 525, the Preparedness Against Domestic Terrorism Act of 2001 -
Introduced by U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), this bill would create a
Presidential Council within the Executive Office of the President to oversee
and coordinate the preparedness efforts of more than 40 departments and
agencies. The bill provides the Council with oversight of federal programs
and the authority to make recommendations to OMB regarding budget
allocations for each federal terrorism preparedness program, based on a
comprehensive national strategy. A similar measure (H.R. 4210 introduced by
former Rep. Tillie Fowler) received bi-partisan support last year and passed
the House unanimously under suspension of the rules.
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