Security

The Time to Assess Animal Preparedness Plans is BEFORE Disaster Strikes

September 17, 2009 -- SEATTLE, Wash. -- September is National Preparedness Month, and this year the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is using the calendar observance to focus on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness, and helping Americans understand what it truly means to be Ready.

Being Ready is all about taking four simple but all-important steps: get an Emergency Supply Kit; make a Family Emergency Plan; be informed about emergencies and their appropriate responses; and get involved in community preparedness initiatives. According to FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger, the time to make proper provisions for pets is before disaster strikes.    » read more »

Senator expressed concerns regarding oversight of contractors and security risks in war zone

September 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Continuing her fight for better oversight of federal government contracting, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today questioned Admiral (ADM) Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on whether lessons learned from Iraq are being applied to contracting practices in Afghanistan.    » read more »

September 14, 2009 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today awarded $1.35 million in defense grants for projects to improve Florida’s position as a host state for military installations and activities.
“Defense grants make important contributions to the overall mission of our nation’s armed forces,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “While the grants protect the values of the military bases they also enable neighboring communities to better support the men and women who serve in our military.”    » read more »

August 27, 2009 -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced new directives to enhance and clarify oversight for searches of computers and other electronic media at U.S. ports of entry—a critical step designed to bolster the Department’s efforts to combat transnational crime and terrorism while protecting privacy and civil liberties.

“Keeping Americans safe in an increasingly digital world depends on our ability to lawfully screen materials entering the United States,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The new directives announced today strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders.”    » read more »

August 26, 2009 -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced more than $240 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for new in-line baggage handling systems at 10 additional airports across the country.    » read more »

September 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON. D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that more than 1,200 national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations have pledged their support and joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month (NPM) Coalition. Non-member organizations are strongly encouraged to join before the start of NPM.

Led by FEMA's Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, NPM is held each September and is designed to raise awareness and promote action surrounding emergency preparedness among citizens, businesses and communities.    » read more »

September 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today marked the beginning of the sixth annual National Preparedness Month - focusing on becoming better prepared for and more resilient in the face of emergencies of all kinds.

"National Preparedness Month is about building a culture of personal preparedness and shared responsibility across our country," said Secretary Napolitano. "This month, we ask all Americans to visit Ready.gov to learn what they can do to help their families, businesses and communities stay safe during an emergency - whether it be hurricanes like Katrina, the fires we are fighting in California or pandemic influenza."    » read more »

August 28, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today announced this year's homeland security grant awards to state agencies and communities across Colorado, providing $19.3 million to be administered by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security.

Over 80 percent of the funds awarded will go to counties and local jurisdictions throughout Colorado to support local first responders and homeland security initiatives. The funded projects will improve the state's preparedness for man-made or natural disasters.    » read more »

Fulfilling the promise of Prague at the L’Aquila Summit

July 8, 2009 -- On April 5, 2009, in Prague, President Obama presented an ambitious three-part strategy to address the international nuclear threat: 1) proposing measures to reduce and eventually eliminate existing nuclear arsenals; 2) strengthening the Non-proliferation Treaty and halting proliferation of nuclear weapons to additional states; and 3) preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons or materials.

Today, the G8 leaders endorsed that strategy and released a statement that:

Moving Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons

* Calls on all States to meet in full their arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation commitments,    » read more »

July 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) said today that reports of cyber attacks by North Korea are another example of why the United States needs to be better armed to fight these alarming 21st century security threats.

As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security, Sen. Carper has been pushing to increase protections against just such cyber attacks as those reported this week against U.S. and South Korean government websites.    » read more »

The Report Supports the Delegation’s February 2009 Letter Objecting to TSA’s Proposed Large Aircraft Security Program as Disproportionate with the Actual Threat

June 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Alaska Delegation responded today to a recent finding by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security that General Aviation poses little risk to aircraft security.

In a report entitled “TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) Role in General Aviation Security,” the Inspector General’s office concluded, “We determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security.”    » read more »

Senator Lautenberg Introduces Legislation to Close "Terror Gap" In Nation's Gun Laws

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Congressmen John Conyers (D-MI) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) today released a new GAO report finding that, from February 2004 to February 2009, there were 963 cases in which a known or suspected terrorist attempted to buy a gun. In 90 percent of those cases – a total of 865 times – they were cleared to proceed with that purchase. One of those cases involved the purchase of explosives.    » read more »

Measure Contains Funding for Border Region, N.M. Air Force Bases & Labs

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that Congress has given final approval to legislation that contains funding for border security.

The measure, which is now headed to the White House, contains $250 million to combat violence and drug trafficking, of which $140 million is for the Department of Homeland Security to hire additional law enforcement and intelligence personnel, and to pay overtime for those already working along the border.    » read more »

Also secures $3 million for cyber safety software

June 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, supported the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which included $800 million in funding for border security and $3 million for cyber security.

"I am pleased the Appropriations Committee senses the urgency in securing our nation's borders and providing our patrol agents with the tools they need to make sure our country and citizens remain safe," said Bennett. "Utahns can rest assured that we are doing everything we can in Congress to provide the highest security to every American."    » read more »

Funding Represents a 14.6 Percent Increase from 2008 Funds; More Than $145 Million for New York City; Rochester Awarded a Record 57.4 Percent Funding Increase

June 18, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded New York State more than $283 million in federal homeland security funding, including more than $145 million for the New York City area.

This allotment totals $36,133,877 more than the 2008 funds distributed to New York, a 14.6 percent increase from 2008 funding levels. Each year, this funding helps communities and first responders across the State to better prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other emergencies.    » read more »