Chet Edwards For Congress - Emergency Preparedness

House vote may help Disaster City

Kat — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:41:43 -0700

June 7, 2006
House vote may help Disaster City

Bryan-College Station Eagle
By Eagle Staff Report |

The Texas A&M University System's Disaster City may have dodged a bullet, at least for now.
A proposed $15 million cut in federal funding for the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, which operates the program, was averted Tuesday after a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

If the bill can now get Senate approval, the center will receive $22 million in funding as part of the 2006 homeland security budget - the same amount the program received last year. The Bush administration had proposed cutting its annual funding to $7 million.

Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, who helped residents in campaigning against the cuts, expressed pleasure Tuesday that the substantial cut was averted.

"There should be no greater priority of the federal government than to protect Americans here at home from the threat of terrorism," he said in a press release, pledging to support the funding on a bi-partisan basis "throughout the legislative process."

According to Edwards' office, the proposed decrease in funding would result in a loss of 50 jobs and a dramatic drop in emergency responder training - from 40,000 students per year to 9,000.

Earlier this year, the congressman helped residents draft a letter of protest to the chairman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which he also sits on.

House members passed the homeland security budget Thursday evening with a 388-9 vote.

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."

Edwards Stops $12.5 Million Cut ...

Kat — Tue, 10 May 2005 11:33:45 -0700

May 10, 2005
Edwards Stops $12.5 Million Cut in Homeland Security Funding for A&M Program

(WASHINGTON, DC) – U.S. Representative Chet Edwards, a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that $20 million has been approved by the full House Appropriations Committee today for 2006 homeland security training and projects at the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) at Texas A&M University. The approved funding reverses a $12.5 million proposed cut under the Administration’s 2006 homeland security budget for NERRTC that would have resulted in only a $7.5 million allocation, or 60% cut, next year.

“Texas A&M is a national leader on homeland security research and training and this important funding is crucial for the safety of our citizens,” said Edwards. “I am pleased that our request for the Subcommittee to reject drastic cuts was approved, and I will work on a bipartisan basis to support the $20 million funding throughout the legislative process. There should be no greater priority of the federal government than to protect Americans here at home from the threat of terrorism.”

Police, firefighters, and EMS personnel come from across the country to receive first responder training at The National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) at Texas A&M. NERRTC is a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) which was again facing budget cutbacks in 2006 under the Administration budget proposal.

NERRTC funding was the number one research priority of Texas A&M and the reduced level of funding would have caused a reduction in staff of 41 instructors and administrative personnel. As he did last year, Edwards worked with the Texas delegation in Congress, coordinating a bipartisan support letter signed by 22 members of the Texas delegation to the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee chairman Harold Rogers (KY-05) recommending increased funding.

“I am proud to work with members of the Texas delegation on a bipartisan effort to ensure funds are made available for important homeland security projects at Texas A&M and around the country,” said Edwards, a member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. “The global war on terror demands that we act responsibly as a Congress to protect programs every year that protect Americans here at home.”

Texas A&M officials were grateful for the increased funding and thanked Edwards for his efforts.

"Congressman Edwards, working with other members of the Texas delegation, has achieved another significant milestone in homeland security," said Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, Vice Chancellor & Dean of Engineering at Texas A&M University and Executive Director, NERRTC. "This funding will enable NERRTC to continue its important mission of preparing communities to protect themselves from the evils of terrorism. The citizens of Texas and indeed, the entire United States, are better equipped and prepared because of the hard work of Congressman Edwards and the Texas delegation," said Bennett.

The NDPC is a partnership, created in 1998, made up of Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and the Departments of Homeland Security and Energy.

The NDPC was created to provide a focused, threat responsive, long term national capability for our emergency first responders. Edwards, as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee has played a key role in Congress overseeing key homeland defense programs to protect America against acts of terrorism.

Chet Edwards is one of only six Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serving on both the Budget and Appropriations Committees. He is a 1974 graduate of Texas A&M where he earned a degree in Economics.

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