William F. Smith: “I oppose this amendment. I support the separation of the Office of National Preparedness from the Federal Emergency…”

“I oppose this amendment. I support the separation of the Office of National Preparedness from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. This was recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary in its views on H.R. 5005. Mr. Chairman, FEMA has an important role to play when a natural disaster occurs. Its core mission is to provide assistance to States and local officials. In sharp contrast to FEMA's natural disaster mission, the stated function of the Offices of National Preparedness, ONP, currently within FEMA, is to respond to terrorist attacks. This office is similar to the Department of Justice's Offices of Domestic Preparedness, and yet both programs train State and local first responders for such events. Merging the Office of National Preparedness with the Office of Domestic Preparedness will ensure the Federal coordination of State and local first responders. It ensures that they both receive law enforcement crisis management training and consequence management training. As James Witt, the former director of FEMA stated, 'FEMA has become a model agency by focusing on its prime mission: Responding to disasters and trying to reduce their impact in the future.'”