Laura Richardson: “A key component of emergency preparedness is the ability to alert and warn the public of an impending disaster.”

I am here to speak for the people I represent, the hardworking and really hard-pressed men, women, and children and businesses of the 37th Congressional District.

While our country is now more secure, we must continue to remain vigilant against those who seek to do us harm and teach hate.

The threats and activity of al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab are real and should be investigated by this committee.

We must ask whether, however, it is appropriate to invest in the potential of technologies when simple cost-effective solutions might suffice as well.