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| Welcoming the U. S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Nashville, TN, recently are (left to right): New York State Senator Michael Balboni, Secretary Chertoff, Massachusetts State Senator Richard T. Moore,
NCSL President Leticia Van de Putte, a Texas state senator
and California Senate Sergeant at Arms Tony Beard.
Balboni, Moore, and Beard co-chair the NCSL Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. |
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August 25, 2006 - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the nation’s state lawmakers that government agencies have made significant progress to make America safer since September 11, 2001, but that much more needs to be done. He called on state legislators to help to make American citizens secure from terrorist attack through implementing better identification systems and supporting first responders. Chertoff began and ended his address by commending Senators Richard T. Moore (D-Massachusetts, Michael Balboni (R-New York) for their leadership in helping to improve homeland security.
Secretary Chertoff made the request of state legislators and legislative staff for support at the business meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) last week in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to his remarks, Chertoff was greeted by Senators Moore and Balboni, along with California Senate Sergeant at Arms Tony Beard who co-chair NCSL’s Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Chertoff’s address came just days after British authorities foiled a terrorist plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic that were headed for the U. S., and only weeks before the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist attack on America.
The Homeland Security chief asserted that the threat has not gone away after the foiled terrorist plot to blow up the planes. “I want to emphasize that we are not saying the threat has dissipated or even been substantially reduced,” he said. “We are still on high alert. We recognize that there are loose ends to this plot and we are continuing literally every hour to unravel. We recognize that other plotters may see in our efforts here an opportunity for them to attack, but I can tell you we are not distracted!”
“A lot has been done,” Chertoff told the lawmakers. “And I’ll be the first to tell you there’s a lot more to do. We need the will, the persistence, and the steadfastness to finish the job. We need to continue this (state/federal) partnership. I don’t want to sacrifice our freedoms, but preserve them.”
Chertoff listed security improvements since September 11, 2001:
• Airplanes now have reinforced cockpit doors,
• Airport screening has been increased and screeners have been trained to look for detonators,
• Armed air marshals are present on flights,
• The intelligence community has been refashioned and worked toward greater information sharing,
• The federal government has invested $10 billion in port security improvements,
• Visitors from anywhere but Canada are undergoing biometric screenings at the U. S. border,
• Ten major cities have improved their emergency radio communications systems so that all jurisdictions, including police and fire departments, can talk to each other in crisis situations.
“We are here to support you, but we honor the traditional model that puts state and local governments first when responding to natural disasters,” Chertoff said, and the audience applauded enthusiastically.
As for what still needs to be done, Chertoff listed some programs in the works:
• New technologies are being developed to better detect bombs – including liquid explosives – efficiently,
• Airport screeners are being trained to notice suspicious behaviors.
• The federal government is conducting a national radio interoperability survey to see how well different state and local agencies can communicate with each other on radios.
• Real ID (a national, secure driver’s license) regulations are being written and are expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Recognizing that many state legislators consider the Real ID program to be an unfunded federal mandate on states, Chertoff briefly discussed the project to standardize state driver’s licenses. He said he sympathized with state that are facing formidable implementation demands, but he explained why he thinks the law is important. Between 75 and 100 different ID’s will get a person over the U. S. border, Chertoff said, referring to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. “That number of identification forms makes it harder for border patrols to pick out the fake ones,” he explained.
“We’re not interested in taking over production of state issued licenses,” Chertoff asserted, “We want to develop guidelines to ensure that licenses are secure, and we want to come up with a way for states to share information.” He added that the final product may not be a national data base, opposed by civil liberties advocates, but one that would be housed in the respective states that allows communication among the states and with federal authorities.
State lawmakers are concerned that the Real ID law could raise the cost of driver’s licenses and will burden driver’s license operations unless the federal government assists with financial and technical assistance.
Chertoff didn’t discuss funding this new mandate, which state officials expect may cost billions of additional dollars. Senator Moore said that funding was one of the chief concerns along with the timeline that the federal government wants for implementation. “The biggest concern is that they give states adequate time to implement it, and that they provide most or all of the financial support,” Senator Moore explained. Moore added that he was pleased with Chertoff’s report on the progress that has been made since 9/11 noting that we’re better prepared, but we’re still not as safe as we need to be. “I’m also encouraged by Secretary Chertoff’s willingness to work closely with state legislatures on homeland security issues,” Moore added. “We will need to build our case for adequate federal funding to avert another new burden for state taxpayers,” he explained.
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