FEINSTEIN TO PROTECT HOMELAND SECURITY $.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau California Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. is headed for a showdown today with Connecticut and Maine lawmakers who want to divert anti-terrorism money from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and other high-threat areas to small states like the ones they represent. Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7 1952, in Caribou, Maine) is an American politician, the junior U.S. Senator from Maine and a Republican. , R-Maine, have introduced an amendment to a $31.9 billion homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States spending bill that seeks to distribute 40 percent of grants to every state, no matter how significant or minor its terrorist targets. California lawmakers and state experts said this formula, set for a vote today, could translate into a $20 million loss for the Los Angeles area, severely undermining the region's anti-terrorism efforts. ``It is absolutely critical that our dollars go to where the threat is greatest and where resources can do the most good,'' Feinstein said Monday. ``In my view, we've got to move to a system where the grants follow the threat and are distributed primarily based on risk and threat, not on geographic or political factors,'' she said. Her plan, introduced with Sen. John Cornyn John Cornyn III (born February 2 1952) is the junior United States Senator from Texas. He is a Republican and was elected to his first term in November 2002, defeating Democrat Ron Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, Texas, and Libertarian Scott Jameson of Plano, Texas. , R-Texas, metes out only 13 percent of the estimated $2.9 billion in homeland security grants to each state, regardless of risk. Congress would distribute the remaining 87 percent based on a national risk assessment from the Homeland Security Department There were gaps in the U.S. system for detecting and deterring terrorist acts in the homeland. That became clear September 11, 2001. The Department of Homeland Security is the george w. bush administration's plug for those gaps. . Anne Marie Conroy, director of California's Office of Emergency Services emergency services Emergency care '…services …necessary to prevent death or serious impairment of health and, because of the danger to life or health, require the use of the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish those services' and Homeland Security in San Francisco, said the seemingly arcane fight over funding formulas is critical to Los Angeles and other metropolitan areas. ``The terrorists targeted Madrid, New York Madrid is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,828 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Madrid in Spain. The Town of Madrid is in the northern part of the county, north of Canton. City and London for a reason. They are large urban areas that have international recognition,'' Conroy said. ``I would think, after what happened in London, that the U.S. Senate and Congress would recognize the risk that our large, urban areas are faced with and that any hope of bringing home the bacon to small states is inappropriate,'' she said. Lieberman and Collins said their effort has nothing to do with small- versus big-state politics. ``Our legislation considerably improves the homeland security state grant process so the entire nation will be better prepared to respond to terrorist attacks,'' they said in a statement. Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com |
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