Patrick Leahy: “I will vote today in favor of final passage of the Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished…”

“I will vote today in favor of final passage of the Improving America's Security by Implementing Unfinished Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, S. 4, but I do so with a heavy heart. I am truly disappointed that the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senators Lieberman and Collins, decided to arbitrarily lower the minimum allocation for States under the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program from the 0.75 percent that has existed for the past 5 years to 0.45 percent. Not only would this change to the formula result in the loss of millions in homeland security funding for the fire, police, and rescue departments in small- and medium-sized States, like Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine, it also would deal a crippling blow to their efforts to launch federally mandated multiyear plans to build and sustain their terrorism preparedness.”