Dan Burton: “I rise today to speak on S. 1245, legislation to reform mutual aid agreements for the National Capital Region. This…”

“I rise today to speak on S. 1245, legislation to reform mutual aid agreements for the National Capital Region. This legislation was introduced by Senators Cardin, Warner, Mikulski, and Webb last July and passed by the Senate in December by unanimous consent. Under current law, the Federal Government is authorized to enter into mutual aid agreements with State and local governments in the National Capital Region in order to allow the various jurisdictions to cooperate in the event of an emergency without risk of liability for the acts or omissions of their employees while rendering aid. Senate bill 1245 would further state that entities such as the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, the Water and Sewer Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority would be authorized to enter into these mutual aid agreements as well. The goal here is to ensure that emergency response personnel in the National Capital Region are able to coordinate as closely as possible in the event of an emergency. Hopefully this legislation helps us to move closer in that direction.”