Bart Stupak: “Democrats on this side, we will support the bill. It does create some accountability at the Department of Homeland…”

“Democrats on this side, we will support the bill. It does create some accountability at the Department of Homeland Security. It will provide the cities and counties with guidance and standards 5 years after 9/11. But the real critical need is, we need funding. Public safety interoperability should be an urgent priority for this country. As a former police officer, I understand clearly the importance of adequate funding for homeland security programs. The bill solves half the problem. We create the standards, but there is no funding. Let us provide funding and not continue to give false hope to our first responders that interoperability will finally arrive. It will never arrive until we provide adequate funding. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”