Homeland Security
Nobody knows the importance of homeland security better than New Yorkers. Congresswoman Maloney is working to ensure New York is prepared for, and working to prevent, future terrorist attacks. This includes making sure the Department of Homeland Security is adequately funded and that these funds are invested in areas based on risk and vulnerability, first responders are well trained, equipped, and cared for, and major terrorist targets like New York City are prepared and protected.
Select Highlights
- Homeland Security Funding and Protecting New York: Since 9/11, Congresswoman Maloney has led a number of efforts in Congress to direct a greater share of homeland security funding to the communities under threat, which too often are shortchanged. Congresswoman Maloney continues to strongly support the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that homeland security should be based strictly on an assessment of risk and vulnerability, and that New York City and Washington, D.C. should be at the top of any such list. Read More
- 9/11 Health and Compensation: On January 2, 2011, President Obama Signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (H.R. 847) into law. Congresswoman Maloney spent nearly a decade fighting to pass this important law, which has provided medical monitoring, treatment, and compensation to those sick and injured from the September 11th attacks. Read More
- Foreign Acquisitions and National Security: Congresswoman Maloney authored the National Security Foreign Investment Reform and Strengthened Transparency Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-49). This legislation strengthens and reforms the process by which the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews foreign direct investment for national security issues. The need for this reform was made evident in early 2006 when CFIUS failed to raise red flags about a deal that would have put commercial control of several key U.S. ports into the hands of a company owned by the government of Dubai. This Act establishes CFIUS in statute rather than as a creature of Executive Order, implements mandatory 45-day investigations for all deals involving foreign governments, requires high-level review of such transactions, gives the Director of National Intelligence a greater role in the CFIUS process, and improves congressional oversight, among other provisions.
- Civil Liberties Board: As the co-chair of the former 9/11 Commission Caucus, Congresswoman Maloney fully supported the passage of all 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Out of concern that the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was not given the teeth it needs to be an effective board, she introduced “The Protection of Civil Liberties Act”. This bill would have created the board as recommended by the 9/11 Commission. In 2007 Congress passed H.R. 1, “Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” (P.L. 110-53), which included important provisions from Congresswoman Maloney’s legislation intended to strengthen the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board to more closely reflect the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
For other legislation and related documents click here.
More on Homeland Security
WASHINGTON, DC - The Chairs of the 9/11 Commission Caucus, who were the House sponsors of the Collins-Lieberman legislation, are eagerly anticipating the signing of the 9/11 Commission bill and looking forward to further action on the commission’s recommendations next year. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT), who introduced a change to the House Rules to reorganize the oversight of intelligence and homeland security (H Res 837) , said today that they will reintroduce that proposal early next year.
WASHINGTON, DC - While New York City will receive more than $207 million in funds for high-threat cities, up from $47 million last year, more than half of the $2.5 billion in homeland security dollars already announced for this year has been distributed without any basis of threat, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) made available today. Of the remaining $2.4 billion yet to be distributed, only the $315 million in the remaining funds to be distributed by the Urban Area Security Initiative is guaranteed to be distributed solely based on threat. The result will be a lowering in New York’s per capita share of homeland funds throughout the year.
Latest Round of Homeland Security Funding:New York City Does Better, But More Still Needs to be Done
WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Homeland Security has determined the distribution of its state and local homeland security grant programs for FY2005, and while New York will see an improvement, a disproportionate amount of money still goes to states with no real terror threat. The money is generally broken up into two pots - the Urban Area Security Initiative (or “high-threat” grants) and state grant programs. While New York City saw its take of the high-threat money restored to FY2003 levels, the state as a whole continues to suffer from a bad funding formula and bad distribution by the Department of Homeland Security that keeps it far behind states like Wyoming in money allocated per person.