It's about time

Congrats to the House (and America) for passing a bill to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Readers of this blog will know there is one particular area DB is particularly happy to see improved: Interoperable communications systems for our first responders.

When Republicans like Sen. Ted Stevens were in charge, it looked like first responders were going to risk their lives in dangerous situations without the right equipment until at least 2009, probably 2012... Eleven years after 9/11 and 16 years after Congress was explicitly warned that communications were inadequate at the Federal Building in OK City and the World Trade Center, bombed in 1993.

Well, the jury is still out on when that equipment will arrive and our first responders will be trained to use it, but at least there's some motion today. It looks like the ball is now in DHS' court, so we'll see how that works out.

Relevant text from the bill follows:

SEC. 201. IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment- Title V of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`SEC. 522. IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.

`(a) Establishment- The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Grants and Training and in coordination with the Director for Emergency Communications, shall establish the Improve Communications for Emergency Response Grant Program to make grants to States and regions to carry out initiatives to improve interoperable emergency communications, including initiatives to achieve solutions to statewide, regional, national, and, where appropriate, international interoperability.

`(b) Use of Grant Funds- A State or region receiving a grant under this section may use the grant for short-term or long-term goals for improving interoperable emergency communications, including interoperability within that State or region, and to assist with--

`(1) statewide or regional communications planning;

`(2) design and engineering for interoperable emergency communications systems;

`(3) procurement and installation of interoperable emergency communications equipment;

`(4) interoperable emergency communications exercises;

`(5) modeling and simulation exercises for operational command and control functions;

`(6) technical assistance and training for interoperable emergency communications; and

`(7) other activities determined by the Secretary to be integral to interoperable emergency communications.

`(c) Region Defined- For the purposes of this section, the term `region' means any combination of contiguous local government units, including such a combination established by law or mutual aid agreement between two or more local governments or governmental agencies.'.

(b) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security for grants under section 522 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a)--

(1) such sums as may be necessary for the first fiscal year that begins after the later of--

(A) the date on which the Secretary of Homeland Security completes and submits to Congress the National Emergency Communications Plan required under section 1802 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 572);

(B) the date on which the Secretary of Homeland Security completes and submits to Congress the first baseline interoperability assessment required under section 1803 of such Act (6 U.S.C. 573); or

(C) the date on which the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Director of Emergency Communications, determines and notifies Congress that substantial progress has been made towards the development and promulgation of voluntary consensus-based interoperable communications standards pursuant to section 1801(c)(11) of such Act (6 U.S.C. 571(c)(11)); and

(2) such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.

(c) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents in section 1(b) of that Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 521 the following:

`Sec. 522. Improve Communications for Emergency Response Grant Program.'.