Earl Blumenauer: “part of the agenda of the New Democratic Leadership was to pass the ``Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11…”

“part of the agenda of the New Democratic Leadership was to pass the ``Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act'', which has been bottled up for years. By doing so, we are taking an important step in improving the safety of all Americans. This bill brings about a positive change to our current homeland security strategy. It provides a new formula for grant funding distribution based on risks in order to remove the politics from our national security. It contains a substantial amount of funding for improving communications interoperability among first responders, which will help Oregon as it continues to aggressively address the issue at the local level. It also provides nearly $4 billion over the next four years for rail, transit, and bus security, a matter which I have had a long standing interests. We have seen the devastating impacts of terrorism on these modes of transportation in Europe in recent years and it is crucial that we make investments to protect this infrastructure at home. These changes and many others recommended by the 9/11 Commission represent an important and long overdue step forward to securing our Nation.”