WASHINGTON, DC—Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Joe Lieberman (D-CT) today introduced the Homeland Security Interagency and Interjurisdictional Information Sharing Act, legislation to strengthen the nation's capabilities to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism. "Maine's firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel do an amazing job of providing aid when a neighboring town is in need. Fires, floods, and accidents are local matters in which they have great experienceTheir defense of the front lines in the war against terrorism, however, is a national matter. Maine's first responders—along with first responders in every state—are doing their part, but they need and deserve federal help," said Senator Collins, whose Committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security. To help first responders, the legislation would create an Interoperability Grant Program, which would authorize $3.3 billion over five years to guarantee every state a reliable and consistent funding source specifically for interoperability solutions, or the development of compatible communications systems. This amount is nearly half of the need identified by a recent Council on Foreign Relations report. The grant program is set up to get this funding to first responders quickly and efficiently, in coordination with a thorough statewide plan. The legislation also would direct the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Homeland Security Information Sharing Network that would expedite the gathering, analysis and distribution of all information that is relevant to preventing or responding to terrorism anywhere in the nation. In addition, it would establish a Homeland Security Information Coordinating Council to bring together representatives from all relevant federal agencies and state and local governments to develop, monitor and update procedures to enhance information sharing and to evaluate the compatibility of technology. The Council's most important task would be to establish a process for the resolution of disputes among agencies about whether particular information should be shared.
"Although the Department of Homeland Security has made remarkable progress in forging cohesive strategies in less than a year and a half in operation, state and local officials still report that they have difficulty obtaining needed information from federal officials and that they lack a reliable way to convey their information to federal officials," said Senator Collins. "There still is no effective system in place for state and local governments to share information with each other. From computer systems to emergency radios, the technology that should allow these different levels of government to communicate with each other is silenced by incompatibility. "Clearly, the barrier to a truly unified effort against terrorism is a matter of both culture and equipment. This legislation will help break down that barrier," she said. During a homeland security conference Senator Collins organized in Orono, Maine, first responders urged her to address interoperability challenges. "The lack of interoperability in communications equipment remains a substantial impediment to their ability to respond effectively in the event of terrorist activity or even attack. For a state with three deep-water cargo ports, two international airports, key defense installations, hundreds of miles of coastline, and a long international border, compatible communications equipment is essential yet remains an elusive goal," Senator Collins said. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report indicated similar concerns, stating, "Lives of first responders and those whom they are trying to assist can be lost when first responders cannot communicate effectively." A substantial barrier to effective communications, according to the GAO, is the use of incompatible wireless equipment by the many agencies and levels of government that may respond to a major emergency. Among the GAO recommendations are that federal grants be used to encourage states to develop and to implement plans to improve interoperable communications, and that the Department of Homeland Security establish a long-term program to coordinate these same communications upgrades throughout the federal government. "This legislation will do much to accomplish those recommendations. It is vitally important that we assist the states in getting the right communications technology into the hands of first responders," said Senator Collins. # # #