Garrett-Sponsored Community Counterterrorism Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 5859, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, a bill that Garrett co-sponsored and supported:

“With bombs detonating in New Jersey and New York this week, the first line of defense against terrorism continues to be police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services professionals. To better prepare these men and women on the front lines, tonight the House passed the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, a bill that I co-sponsored and supported, that will provide additional training for emergency responders to prevent or respond to terrorist attacks in high risk areas like New Jersey and New York.”

Key points of the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act include (courtesy of the Homeland Security Committee):

• The bill authorizes $39 million for emergency response providers in major metropolitan areas to conduct training and exercises to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the most likely terrorist attack scenarios, including active shooters.
• Eligible recipients include emergency response providers, including law enforcement, fire fighters, EMS, and emergency management in any jurisdiction that currently receives Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding and any jurisdiction that previously received UASI funding.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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