WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Lois Capps celebrated the passage of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (H.R. 1).  The bipartisan 9/11 Commission submitted its recommendations to Congress in July 2004.  Over the next two and half years the Republican-led Congress failed to enact most of the recommendations. Under new Democratic leadership, HR 1 was the first piece of legislation passed by the House in the 110th Congress.  This legislation is one of the signature accomplishments of the 110th Congress and will go a long way towards making America safer.  The key provisions of the bill include improvements in port, rail, mass transit and aviation security, enhanced communications capabilities for first responders, risk-based allocation of Homeland Security funding, and improved intelligence and information sharing among intelligence agencies and local law enforcement.

“This is a huge step forward in our efforts to make America safer and it is long overdue,” said Capps.  “For too long the President and Congressional Republicans have been lax in following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, partially implementing some recommendations and ignoring others entirely.  These common sense proposals – like making air travel safer, ensuring that first responders have the equipment they need, and strengthening efforts to prevent WMDs from falling into terrorist hands - should have been implemented when the 9/11 Commission first issued its report years ago.  Recent intelligence reports suggest that during that time al-Qaeda has returned to pre-9/11 strength and the U.S. could again be a target.  I am committed to protecting communities on the Central and South Coasts and across the country, and it is my hope that with the enactment of this legislation we can make up for lost time in improving our Homeland security efforts.”

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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.