Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I rise in support of H.R. 3284, ``Joint Counterterrorism…”

“As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I rise in support of H.R. 3284, ``Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act of 2017.'' This bipartisan bill would formally authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to hold counterterrorism workshops with state and local officials in order to address emerging terrorist threats and to enhance the ability of state and local jurisdictions to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks. The coordination program under the measure would include: 1. Reviewing existing preparedness, response, and interdiction plans, policies, and procedures related to terrorist attacks of the participating jurisdictions and identifying gaps in such plans, operational capabilities, response resources, and authorities; 2. Identifying Federal, State, and local resources available to address the gaps identified; 3. Providing assistance, through training, exercises, and other means, to build or sustain, as appropriate, the capabilities to close such identified gaps; 4. Examining the roles and responsibilities of participating agencies and respective communities in the event of a terrorist attack; 5. Improving situational awareness and information sharing among all participating agencies in the event of a terrorist attack; and 6. Identifying and sharing best practices and lessons learned from each Workshop Series.…”