Chris Dodd: “Over 5 years after the tragic events of 9/11 and almost 20 months since the tragic events of Hurricanes Katrina and…”

“Over 5 years after the tragic events of 9/11 and almost 20 months since the tragic events of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we continue to hear from Governors, county executives, mayors, first responders, health professionals, and emergency preparedness officials that our country as a whole remains unprepared for another manmade or natural disaster. We have heard the argument, which I support, that Congress needs to do more to support regional and local efforts to protect Americans. Overall, I believe this bill takes a critical step forward in protecting Americans at home from manmade and natural disasters. It codifies several recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission--seminal recommendations that, nearly 3 years after being issued, have still not been implemented by this White House or the Congress. I support the measures in this bill designed to allocate critical resources based on concrete risk and effectiveness analysis. I also support the measure in this bill that establishes a minimum base of funding for all States.”