The United States House of Representatives passed U.S. Rep. Martha McSally’s (R-AZ) Preparing for Attacks and Responding to Emergencies (PREPARE) Act on Tuesday.
The legislation seeks to improve the efficiency and coordination of disaster preparedness programs.
“This bipartisan bill will make our country safer,” McSally said. “It enhances tools for first responders, improves efficiency at FEMA, helps address threats posed by chemical and biological attacks, and ensures our nation’s homeland security agents can communicate effectively. I came to Congress to advance commonsense solutions like this one, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to get it signed into law.”
Provisions in the bill include authorizing “Operation Stonegarden,” a program that provides grants to law enforcement agencies along the border to enhance border security; improving accountability and effectiveness of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants; enhancing efficiency at FEMA by requiring designated stand to implement certain recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO); addressing interoperability gaps affecting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants; and establishing a pilot program to provide anthrax vaccines to first responders on a voluntary basis to address chemical and biological threats.