Chet Edwards For Congress - Homeland Security

Defending our Homeland

Kat — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:15:15 -0700

Defending our Homeland

As a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Chet is a leader in the Congress on improving our homeland security programs to protect America.

Chet's recent work on the Homeland Security Appropriations Committee has led to: 5,700 additional border patrol agents, $1.69 billion for cargo inspection at our nation's ports, and $400 million for security grants at U.S. ports.

Chet has led the fight to secure nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union so that highly-enriched uranium does not fall into the hands of terrorists.

Chet secured $84 million to install nuclear detection devices at foreign ports to inspect ship containers bound for the United States.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Chet helped kill the Dubai Ports deal in 2006.

Chet has led the successful fight against attempts to cut funding for the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) at Texas A&M. Proposed cuts would have meant 30,000 fewer police and firefighters would be trained, but Chet Edwards fought to see that these first responders would be trained to protect our local communities from terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

Chet secured support for Texas A&M to conduct research and collaborate with the U.S. Dept. of Energy and Russian universities to help curb the proliferation of nuclear materials and weapons across the world. This important work led Texas A&M to establish the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute .

Local company develops Army devices

econnor — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:11:31 -0700

March 24, 2008

Local company develops Army devices

The Bryan College Station Eagle

By HOLLY HUFFMAN |Eagle Staff Writer

American soldiers may some day soon be able to immediately detect chemical and biological threats through the use of small portable hand-held devices that currently doesn't exist in the field.

And rather than lug around 80 pounds of disposable batteries, military troops may have rechargeable units to power their computers and night vision equipment.

Meanwhile, small spy planes that now fly less than two hours at a time may one day have batteries that are strong enough to keep the small aircraft in the air for half a day.

These technological breakthroughs in national defense and homeland security were unveiled Monday at Lynntech Inc, a College Station-based research and development company. The work is part of a $2.6 million congressional earmark secured last year by U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards. The funding was designated for fiscal year 2008.

"This is an important program because it is about protecting the lives of service men and women in harm's way who are protecting our country," the Democrat from Waco said Monday while visiting the Lynntech lab. "We have a moral obligation to do everything possible to protect our troops and bring them home safely."

Lynntech CEO John Clanton said the company has been working on the technologies involved with the projects for the past four years. In addition to the congressional funding, the company previously was awarded about $850,000 from the defense department, he said.

Oliver Murphy, Lynntech co-founder and chief technological officer, said all three projects are in similar stages of development. Each has about a year to go before being sent to the Army for testing, which he said could take another year.

The bulk of the congressional funding will go toward the development of the handheld threat detection system. The small, green prototype on display Monday is just a fraction of the size of its large, boxy predecessor.

In addition to saving soldiers lives, Murphy and Edwards said that the device also could be used as a tool for emergency responders called to plumes of strange smoke or unknown gases. Such a device, which could instantaneously determine the type of gas and its lethality, could have be used earlier this year when the toxic chemical ricin was found in a Las Vegas motel, the pair said.

"Maybe it's Baghdad today, but tomorrow it could be Las Vegas," Murphy said.

The funding also will be used for further development with fuel cells used to power military equipment in the field.

Lynntech scientists are working to lengthen the life of batteries used on spy planes, which would keep the aircraft aloft for longer periods of time. Currently, the planes, which have a 13-foot wing span, can only fly for about two hours, which means soldiers must carry them from place to place, scientists explained.

A 12-hour battery would allow the plane to fly in formation above the troops until coordinates were entered remotely. The plane then could fly over an area in question, automatically download its data and return to formation, scientists explained.

"We can save troops' lives," Murphy said. "This technology is probably the next major breakthrough in real time intelligence."

The researchers said they also are developing rechargeable batteries that can be used in the field. Currently, soldiers must carry with them between 60 and 80 pounds of disposable batteries, which are discarded once the power is drained.

Having rechargeable units would allow troops to carry just a couple sets of batteries, giving them more room for food and other basic necessities.

"That's amazing," Edwards said as he and Lynntech scientists walked around a large table displaying each of the three projects. "The bottom line is you end up saving lives. That's what it's all about."

Chet Edwards secures $376,000 for local police

econnor — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:11:31 -0700

December 28, 2007
Chet Edwards secures $376,000 for local police

Navasota Examiner

Congressman Chet Edwards announced that he secured $376,000 to help the Navasota Police Department upgrade their communications and computer systems under the final 2008 Appropriations Bill, which passed the House late Monday, the Senate Tuesday, and is expected to be signed into law by the President.

"I believe we have a deep obligation to protect our families from criminals and to support our law enforcement officers who put themselves at risk to protect our communities. This new equipment will help keep our officers safe while they work to protect our families, and I want to congratulate Mayor Bert Miller, Police Chief Shawn Myatt, and local law enforcement for their strong leadership in this effort," said Edwards, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Specifically, the $376,000 secured by Edwards will fund a communications technology and enhancement project. This project will include the addition of 15 mobile radios to be installed in police patrol vehicles to upgrade the departments' communications system. The funding secured by Edwards will replace the existing Navasota Police Department repeater system, which is a vital part of the day-to-day communications between officers, other agencies, and dispatchers. It will provide replacement software for dispatch and report writing that is outdated. The new software will enhance the operations of the Department by providing technology that is more user-friendly with added security.

“The bottom line is that law enforcement officers will be able to respond more quickly to emergency calls with the information they need to protect local citizens. In the case of potentially dangerous suspects, this could mean the difference between life and death for officers and the law-abiding citizens they are protecting," said Edwards.

In 2005, Edwards secured $400,000 for the Grimes County Sheriff's Department to update technology in their patrol cars.

Brazos Valley tallies $41 million in earmarks

econnor — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:09:42 -0700

Saturday, December 29, 2007

BV tallies $41 million in earmarks

The Bryan College Station Eagle

By JANET PHELPS |Eagle Staff Writer

More than $41 million will be poured into Brazos Valley projects next year, thanks to earmarks by U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

President Bush criticized special project money as "wasteful government spending" when he signed the $555 billion bill Wednesday that funds the Iraq war into 2008 and keeps government agencies running through September.

The money will go to 16 projects in Brazos, Robertson, Madison and Grimes counties. The projects range from high-profile aerospace engineering and biofuel research at Texas A&M University to a small, church-based drug prevention program.

Edwards said Friday he was proud of the federal money he secured for local projects because it's an effective way to encourage local growth.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to make appropriations, he said, and earmarks allow local leaders to identify and receive funding for projects they see as important.

"I believe [locally initiated projects] make more sense than letting some bureaucrat in the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C., make decisions about what projects to fund," he said. "I would challenge anyone to criticize agricultural research at A&M or emergency response training that help make our cities safer."

A majority of the $41.6 million will go to Texas A&M, including $985,000 for biofuels research and $705,000 for aerospace engineering projects that are used by NASA for lunar and Mars exploration.

Ken Peddicord, director of Texas A&M's Texas Engineering Experiment Station, said the funding is an important step in advancing research into new energy sources.

Texas A&M's BioEnergy Alliance -- a partnership between the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station -- has developed groundbreaking research in alternative fuels such as sorghum that do not come from food sources, he said.

"This money allows the program to strike off in new directions, to move away from corn and ethanol," he said.

St. Joseph Health System also received money for repairs to its Madisonville hospital.

Gentry Woodard, director of legislative affairs and grants for the St. Joseph Health System, said employees at the 57-year-old hospital have volunteered on weekends to make repairs themselves.

Edwards said the staff dedication is one reason he allotted $117,000 to pay for repairs to the roof and emergency room upgrades.

"It was terribly important to that community," he said.

The earmarks come on top of the 2008 defense appropriations bill that was signed into law in November, in which Edwards secured $6.8 million for Texas A&M defense projects and $2.6 million for Lynntech Inc.

Other local earmarks include:

$392,000 to repave County Road 172 in northern Grimes County.

$196,000 to make improvements to Collard Street in Madisonville.

$376,000 to improve communication technology equipment at the Navasota Police Department.

$12.5 million to train emergency first responders at the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A&M.

$2 million to fund research at the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute at Texas A&M.

$21.9 million to 23 farming, forestry and animal health research programs at Texas A&M.

$1.39 million to provide anti-terrorism training to educators and local law enforcement through the Texas Engineering Extension Service's Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program and Texas A&M's Project Protect.

$588,000 to Brazos Valley Transportation Management Center to study local traffic solutions and plan for future growth.

$150,000 to Project Focus, a drug- and alcohol-abuse prevention program at Shiloh Baptist Church in Bryan.

L-3 could get millions to maintain surveillance planes

jessica — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 08:36:00 -0700

September 28, 2006
L-3 could get millions to maintain surveillance planes

Waco Tribune Herald
By Mike Copeland |Tribune-Herald staff writer

A Homeland Security appropriations bill contains $70 million to keep surveillance planes flying, and much of that money could end up at L-3 Communications in Waco.

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, announced this week that the final appropriations bill for 2007 contains $70 million for the service life extension program, or SLEP, that calls for maintenance of P-3 planes.

The planes are used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to protect the nation’s borders from potential terrorists and major drug dealers.

A contract remains to be awarded for this work, but Edwards thinks he knows who will get it.

“Since L-3 Waco has been the prime contractor on this program, which I funded last year, I believe L-3 will most likely receive a significant amount of the $70 million,” he said.

The L-3 plant is Waco’s largest industrial employer, with about 1,625 people working there.

“We have a number of P-3 planes in here on a rotating basis,” said Lance Martin, spokesman for the massive plant at Texas State Technical College airport.

Last year, Edwards helped get $16 million added to the Homeland Security budget to have work done on these planes.

Martin said the Waco plant performs heavy maintenance on these planes in conjunction with a sister plant in Mississippi.

“We have done a great amount of work on P-3 planes and hope to be considered for more,” Martin said.

The House and Senate must pass the final bill before it goes to President Bush for his signature.

Video - Security

Kat — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:41:17 -0700

"Security"

Select video:

"While others talk about protecting our homeland and securing our borders, Chet Edwards is doing something about it.

Chet Edwards helped write the law that added 1500 new border agents. He led the fight to build survelliance aircraft in our district to secure our borders and is leading the battle to stop nuclear weapons from being smuggled into our country.

Independent. Effective. For us.

CHET EDWARDS: "I'm Chet Edwards and I approve this message."

Chet on the Radio: "A Powerful Fighter ..."

Kat — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:51:46 -0700

Chet Edwards is leading the fight....

Click the "play" button

“A powerful fighter for a strong national defense.”

That’s what the Dallas Morning News said about Chet Edwards. When some in Washington wanted to weaken the Army by slashing forty thousand soldiers, Chet Edwards stood up to them, and won, and kept our Army strong.

That’s why the Association of the U.S. Army named Chet Edwards Legislator of the Year, and why three former commanding generals of Fort Hood say we need him in Congress.

Chet Edwards is leading the fight to protect our homeland and stop nuclear bombs from being smuggled into our country. And it’s Chet Edwards who is recognized as a national leader on veterans issues.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC has endorsed Chet Edwards, and the American Legion gave him its Unsung Hero award for his work to improve veterans health care and keep the Waco VA Hospital open.

Chet Edwards. Independent. Effective. For us. Chet Edwards for Congress is proud, to have paid for this message.

L-3 likely to get $16 million.....

Kat — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:59:48 -0700

May 18, 2006
L-3 likely to get $16 million for high-flying border patrol

Waco Tribune Herald
By Mike Copeland | Tribune-Herald business editor

Waco’s L-3 Communications plant likely will get $16 million to refurbish three or four P-3 planes used by the Department of Homeland Security to patrol U.S. borders.

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, pushed to have the money included in the budget for fiscal 2007, which begins Oct. 1. The Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee approved the expenditure this week. The full House has final say, but Edwards expresses confidence the money will be spent.

The $16 million allocation, Edwards said during a media conference Wednesday, “means more secure borders, more jobs for the local community and more work for L-3, which is Waco’s largest corporate employer.”

P-3 planes have been used to provide “high-tech surveillance” in hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan, Edwards said, adding the same technology can be used to reduce the flow of illegal aliens and illicit drugs entering the country.

Edwards said he supports President Bush’s plan to place about 6,000 National Guard troops along the U.S. border with Mexico to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

But these troops need high-tech support in the form of P-3 planes providing surveillance, he added.

Edwards said the Department of Homeland Security has 16 P-3 planes in its fleet. Without funding to keep the planes in good working order, “we would see a significant degradation of our border security.”

Edwards’ office says the P-3 fleet is aging, with some airframes more than 36 years old. Last year, the P-3 aircraft were used in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

This is the second straight year Edwards has worked to ensure L-3 receives money to maintain the P-3 fleet. The last allocation also was for $16 million.

L-3 spokesman Lance Martin said work on P-3 planes goes on almost constantly at the plant located at Texas State Technical College. The plant had 1,683 people working there Wednesday, including just under 100 contractors.

“The dedication of Rep. Edwards to homeland security is tireless,” said Ed Boyington, site executive for L-3 Communications in Waco. “We are pleased to hear of the additional funding provided in this markup to extend the life of the (P-3 fleet).”

Edwards Votes To Block Port Deal ...

Kat — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 22:34:11 -0700

March 8, 2006
Edwards Votes To Block Port Security Deal

KWTX Channel 10
By News Staff

Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, voted Wednesday in favor of an amendment that would block the sale of operations at six major U.S. ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the bipartisan amendment as part of a $92 billion emergency appropriations bill that includes funds for Iraq and hurricane relief.

The deal that would transfer operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans has drawn fire from both sides of the aisle.
The White House said again Wednesday, however, that the President is sticking to his guns and will veto any attempt by Congress to block the transfer.

Edwards, however, says there's reason for concern.

“The UAE recognized the Taliban but not Israel,” he said in a prepared release.

“Two of the 9-11 hijackers were from the UAE. These facts raise deep concerns about the deal,” Edwards said.

“Yesterday I supported passage of the Patriot Act because defending our homeland should be our nation's top priority. I voted for this prohibition because I believe it will also advance the goal of protecting our homeland from terrorism,” Edwards said.

Rep. John Carter, R-Georgetown, also supported the amendment.

"Since news of this deal broke, my constituents have expressed grave concerns over the security of our nation's ports,” Carter said.

“This is a complex issue, and we need to step back and take a look at the facts before we enter into a deal that may or may not compromise our nation's security," he said.

Proposed budget cuts hurt TEEX

Kat — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:34:43 -0700

February 27, 2006
Proposed budget cuts hurt TEEX

The Battalion
By Bunmi Ishola | Battalion staff writer

Thirty thousand fewer emergency personnel may be trained at Texas A&M and 97,000 nation-wide each year if a proposed federal budget cut is passed, said U.S. Representative Chet Edwards.

A&M's National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) is facing a possible $15 million cut for the 2007 fiscal year, decreasing funding from its current $22 million to $7 million.

Edwards is a member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which is responsible for allocating funds for such programs as NERRTC.

On a local level, 55 staff members would lose their jobs, but the change would also impact local restaurants and hotels, Edwards said. With less people training at A&M yearly, it could be detrimental to the local economy, he said.

NERRTC was established in 1998 and funded by the U.S. Congress to improve the capabilities of emergency responders and local officials to respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. It is part of the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) in the Texas A&M University System.

As the founding member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, NERRTC has delivered training on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for more than 175,000 responders in all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, said Jason Cook, communications director for TEEX.

TEEX provides training courses ranging from threat and risk assessment to incident management and unified command, Cook said. Emergency personnel across the U.S. are equally prepared for national threats and natural disasters because training is standardized, he said.

Cook said the budget cut is not yet official and that a similar cut was proposed for the 2006 fiscal year. The change did not pass, and the program actually received a $2 million funding increase, he said.

"This is just the first step in the budget appropriation process," Cook said.

Yearly, the administration sends a proposed budget to the government. A budget appropriations committee looks over the proposed budget and suggests possible cuts or additions.

The budget passes between Congress and the president until an agreement is reached. Cook said it can take up to six months before a final budget is agreed upon and implemented.

The fundamental problem national budgeting faces is prioritizing, said David McIntyre, director of the A&M Integrative Center for Homeland Security. There is a short list of programs available for governmental funding, he said.

"I'd put NERRTC on the top of my list," McIntyre said. "(Cutting funds) would be a major mistake. (NERRTC) is really one of the crown jewels."