McCaul Introduces Bill to Assist Communities to Become More Resilient in the Wake of Terror Attacks and Active Shooters

Washington, D.C. – As the terror threats against our country continue to evolve and grow, so too must the capabilities of our brave first responders who answer the call to protect us. Today, House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced H.R. 2188, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, that will directly assist first responders, including law enforcement, across the country. Specifically, the bipartisan bill provides direction for the $39 million in grants that go to those on the front lines so they can receive training and conduct exercises to best prepare them to respond to the most likely terrorist attack scenarios. These include complex coordinated attacks, active shooters, and improvised explosive devices. Chairman McCaul: “As our enemies grow more sophisticated with every attack, our first responders must have access to the most current training and cutting-edge tools for them to best prepare for and respond to the evolving terrorist threat. This bill makes significant strides to help communities better prevent threats posed by attacks like we have seen overseas and here at home, including in Dallas, Orlando, San Bernardino, New York, and New Jersey.” Key Points:

The Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act authorizes $39 million for emergency response providers in major metropolitan areas to conduct planning, training, and exercises to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emerging terrorist attack scenarios, including complex coordinated terrorist attacks, active shooters, and the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The Fiscal Year 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act included $39 million for grants to address complex, coordinated terrorist attacks, like the 2015 attacks in Paris.

H.R. 2188 authorizes the program and provides direction to the Department of Homeland Security, ensuring that emergency response providers receive the funding they need to address these emerging threats.

Eligible recipients of funding include emergency response providers (law enforcement, fire fighters, EMS, emergency management, etc.) in any jurisdiction that currently receives Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding and any jurisdiction that previously received UASI funding.

This bill would provide first responders with dedicated funding to address the types of attacks seen in New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Orlando, San Bernardino, Paris, and Brussels.