Last month, Rep Jackson-Lee (D,TX) introduced HR 275, the First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations (FRIENDS) Act. The bill would require GAO to conduct a study on the circumstances which may impact the effectiveness and availability of first responders before, during, or after a terrorist threat or event. No funds are authorized by this bill.
This bill is very similar to HR 2795 that was introduced by Jackson-Lee in the 114th Congress. That bill was passed in the House under the suspension of the rules process by a vote of 362 to 12. The only difference between HR 275 and the earlier bill is that this version adds the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to the list of recipients of the required report.
The Study
Section 2(a) of the bill would require the GAO to prepare a report to Congress on first responder preparedness for terrorist attacks and suggests that the GAO consider:
The degree to which such programs and policies include consideration of the presence of a first responder’s family in an area impacted by a terrorist attack,
The availability of personal protective equipment for first responders,
The availability of home Medkits for first responders and their families for biological incident response, and
Other related factors
Section 2(b) suggests that the report could provide information:
In a format that delineates high risk urban areas from rural communities, and
On the degree to which the selected State and local programs and policies included in such report were developed or are being executed with funding from the Department of Homeland Security
Finally, §2(c) would require DHS to “consider such report’s findings and assess its applicability for Federal first responders.” Interestingly, the bill does not ‘require’ GAO to provide DHS with a copy of their report, though this would typically be expected to be done by GAO.
Moving Forward
Jackson-Lee is not a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to which this bill was assigned for primary consideration. She is, however, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee to which the bill was also assigned for consideration. She probably has the influence to see the bill considered in the later, but not the former. The bill cannot, generally speaking, move forward without the approval of the T&I Committee. There is nothing in this bill that would engender any organized opposition and I suspect that the bill would garner broad, bipartisan support if it were considered.
Commentary
When this bill was introduced in 2015, the only committee to which it was assigned was the Homeland Security Committee. Changes have been made in committee responsibilities since then and the T&I Committee now has an Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee which would be expected to have primary responsibility for the bill in that Committee. The Chair, Scott Perry (R,PA), was one of the initial 19 Republicans that did not vote for McCarthy during the Speaker election. I suspect that he will not be particularly concerned about expanding DHS operations in support of local first responders in anything beyond border control issues.