Letter to Senators supporting increase in funding for first responders
July 11, 2005
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I am writing to urge you to support real increases in funding for first responders, especially for rail and mass transit security and for the REAL ID program when the Senate takes up the FY '06 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
Specifically, we urge you to:
- Support an amendment by Senator Akaka that would increase funding for various state and local first responder grant programs by $587 million. The nation must ensure that first responders, the first line of defense against terrorism and other disasters, are adequately funded and prepared.
- Support increases in funding for rail and mass transit security. The London bombings demonstrate that the insufficient funding in previous years makes our own rail and mass transit system a vulnerable target of terrorists who would kill and wreak economic havoc.
- Support increases in funding for states to pay for the implementation of the new drivers' license standards mandated by the recently enacted REAL ID. The Committee bill provides a paltry $40 million to states. The House approved an appropriation of $100 million which, while larger than the Senate bill, is also modest based on the need.
While improvements have been made in shoring up the nation's capacity to prevent and respond to threats, our communities continue to be ill-prepared. Strong, sustained federal support is necessary to reduce our vulnerabilities and to provide the resources that first responders need to do their work effectively and safely and to address unmet security needs in rail and mass transit. We also urge the Senate to fund the cost of REAL ID drivers' license standards rather than passing these costs onto states already burdened with their own budget difficulties.
Sincerely,
Charles M. Loveless
Director of Legislation
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