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U.S.
Senator Ken Salazar
Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees
2300 15th
Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO
80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C.
20510
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UPDATE: SENATE
PASSES HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS BILL WITH FOUR KEY IMPROVEMENTS
ADDED BY SEN. SALAZAR
WASHINGTON, D.C. – United
States Senator Ken Salazar last night helped the Senate take its next
critical step towards defending America from terrorist attacks by voting
to pass the FY06 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (HR 2360). HR
2360, which included three of Sen. Salazar’s amendments plus his contributions
to a fourth bipartisan amendment, was passed by the Senate with broad
bipartisan support by a vote of 96-1.
“This bill will help make
America safer from terrorist attacks. These improvements to it will
ensure that the federal government coordinates better with local officials,
that the country has a coherent long-term plan for winning the war on
terror and that our rail lines are safer,” Sen. Salazar said.
HR 2360 provides appropriations
for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal agency charged
with preparing for and preventing terrorist attacks against Americans.
As passed by the Senate, it includes four key provisions added by Senator
Salazar:
- Improve DHS Cooperation
With Local Emergency Officials: Building on Senator Salazar’s highly
successful June 2005 statewide homeland security survey, under the
Senate-passed version of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill,
DHS will be required to conduct a similar formal survey of state and
local emergency officials (such as police, fire, medical, and emergency
planners on the municipal, county, regional and state levels) to improve
cooperation between DHS and state and local emergency officials;
- Develop a Coherent, Long-Term
Plan For Fighting Terrorism: Senator Salazar added a requirement to
the Senate-passed version of the Homeland Security Appropriations
bill requiring the DHS to develop a strategic plan every four years
similar to the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review,
including a review of national homeland defense strategy, inter-agency
cooperation, preparedness of Federal response capabilities and developing
a homeland defense strategy for the next 20 years;
- Develop Ideas for Improved
Rail Safety: Senator Salazar successfully included in the Senate-passed
version of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill language urging
DHS to invest in research to promote tunnel rail safety and first-responder
training through research and training programs like those provided
by the Department of Transportation’s Transportation Technology Center
(TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado; and
- Improve the Homeland
Security Grants Process and Increase Accountability: Senator Salazar
also co-sponsored a bipartisan amendment with Sens. Collins (R-ME)
and Lieberman (D-CT). Senator Salazar included improvements suggested
by Colorado state and local law enforcement, public safety and emergency
officials in response to his June 2005 statewide homeland security
survey. Specifically, Sen. Salazar included efforts to improve the
grant application process for state and local agencies applying for
homeland security funds by requiring a committee review the grants
process (at least two of whose members must be state governors) to
make it more user friendly through reduced paperwork requirements.
Sen. Salazar also included a provision to improve accountability to
DHS by requiring states show significant progress toward achieving
essential capabilities and goals within a state’s homeland security
plan. The amendment was approved by a bipartisan vote of 71-26.
Having been passed by the
Senate, HR 2360 will now proceed to conference committee to iron out
differences between House and Senate versions before being voted upon
a second time by both the House and Senate. If the House and Senate
both approve the conference report, it will go on to the President’s
desk for signature or veto.
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