Congressman Carter Praises Committee Passage of his Securing the Cities Improvement Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) praised the passage of his bill, H.R. 4403, the Securing the Cities Improvement Act, in the House Committee on Homeland Security. This bill would ensure stability within the Securing the Cities (STC) program and partnerships with at-risk cities.

“I was proud to introduce this legislation with my colleagues from across the aisle. This bill would help cities build and maintain their security capabilities against nuclear or radiological threats,” said Rep. Carter. “I would like to stress while my bill is a priority and of the utmost importance, it can only help cities if the CWMD is reauthorized before the December 21, 2023, sunset. Without CWMD, there is a real possibility that the Securing the Cities program would cease to operate. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to address the sunset issue so that programs like Securing the Cities will continue to be fully operational.”

The Security the Cities Improvement Act would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) to determine which cities to partner with for the STC program based on the jurisdiction's capability and capacity to prepare for and respond to threats or vulnerabilities against a terrorist attack and other high-consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials. It would also establish performance metrics and milestones for the STC program and monitor expenditures for the program. Furthermore, this legislation would require DHS to provide a report to Congress regarding participation in the STC program, the establishment of metrics and milestones for the program, and plans for any changes to the program.

Background

The STC Initiative was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in Fiscal Year 2007 as a pilot program to support New York City, Jersey City, and Newark in detecting and preventing nuclear or radiological threats. The STC program has now grown and provides 14 local governments with detection equipment, training, exercise support, operational and technical subject matter expertise, and programmatic support. However, the program is limited to “high-risk urban areas” designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program. This linkage between STC and UASI can create uncertainty for local governments participating in the program, as the composition of jurisdictions in the UASI program can vary considerably from one year to the next.

The Securing the Cities Improvement Act is cosponsored by Reps. Thompson, Bennie G. (D-MS) and Clay Higgins (R-LA).

Read the fill bill text here.

Watch Rep. Carter’s remarks here.

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