Legislation introduced on Thursday by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) would provide support to help first responders across the country prepare for terrorist and active shooter attacks.
The Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, would authorize $39 million for emergency response providers in metropolitan areas to support training and exercises to prevent, prepare for and respond to active shooter situations and other forms of terrorist attacks.
“The pace of terror and shooting attacks in the United States has sadly increased to an unprecedented level,” McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “They are becoming so common that we now seem to refer to the attacks by just naming the city in which they occurred. Terrorist threats to our homeland are not relenting. We must ensure our communities and first responders have the tools and training they need to better prepare for and protect against these continuously evolving terrorist threats.”
Under the bill, emergency responders like law enforcement, firefighters, EMS and emergency management in areas that already receive Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding would be eligible for counterterrorism preparedness funds.
The bill, which was introduced in response to the attacks in Orlando, San Bernardino, Dallas and Chattanooga, would enable first responders to apply for grants to support preparedness training sessions and exercises through 2022.