House Homeland Security Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced this week the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, which aims to direct grant funding towards first responders so they may receive counterterrorism training in the event of a coordinated terrorist attack.
The bill would specifically aim to direct the $39 million in grant funding from the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act for emergency responders in major metropolitan areas to conduct planning, training, and exercises to prepare for and respond to various attack scenarios, such as the recent attacks in Dallas, Orlando, San Bernardino, and New York.
“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,” McCaul said.
Eligible first responder groups include law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, emergency management personnel in any jurisdiction that currently receives funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), along with any jurisdiction that previous received UASI funding.
A similar bill passed the House during the last Congress by an overwhelming 395-30 vote, but was not considered by the Senate.