Key Recomendations

• Congress and the Administration should implement a more focused process to work directly with mayors and first responders to review and make changes to the national disaster preparedness and recovery process.

• Congress must reverse its decision to make loans to cities hard hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, under the Disaster Assistance Loan Program, non-forgivable.

• Congress and the Administration should work with The U.S. Conference of Mayors to authorize a mechanism that would allow city-to-city mutual aid agreements to trigger reimbursement procedures and liability protection under the Stafford Act during an emergency.

• The federal government should utilize untapped resources through the development of specialized “go-teams” to respond to major events who could be the liaisons with local mayors, EMS, police and fire departments (at the executive level) to assist in the response of FEMA and other federal assets.

• The federal government should support funding for training on an all-hazards approach by allowing local jurisdictions the flexibility to quickly adapt and meet local needs, we will be better prepared to respond to natural disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as terrorist attacks we hope won’t come.

• Congress and the Administration must work with mayors to better define federal reimbursement and other policies related to housing, transportation, and health and human services for evacuees from disasters – and how these policies are coordinated across federal agencies.

• The federal government should allow for greater military involvement in the immediate response to such overwhelming disasters, at the very least during the first days and weeks of response and when requested by local or state governments.

• Cities need a mechanism to request direct assistance in form of military assets during a major natural disaster or terrorist attack. It is too cumbersome for cities to have to go through the state apparatus.

• The federal government should identify a lead military agency to work directly with local governments on the deployment of federal resources needed immediately prior to and after a disaster.

• Congress must make expansion of the communications spectrum for public safety a Congressional priority by establishing a firm date for the transition of analog broadcast to digital as close to December 31, 2006 as possible.

• Congress should provide urgent funding to assist cities and their first responders achieve full interoperability.

• Congress and the Administration should require cellular, VOIP and other advance telecommunications to provide 911, reverse 911 (preemptive) and other emergency communications.

• Congress and the Administration should provide the funding and infrastructure support for emergency first responder redundant telecommunications systems.

• Congress and the Administration should work with the military to provide redundant telecommunications communications systems for first responders during emergencies.

• Congress and the Administration must clarify that 3-1-1 systems are an allowable cost under its homeland security grant programs and to make explicit reference to 3-1-1 systems in the Authorized Equipment List.

• Congress and the Administration should fund deployment of security and communications technologies including: Voice and video interoperable communication systems; Security cameras on-board public transportation vehicles and in bus and rail stations; Video surveillance and threat detection cameras; Increased surveillance via closed circuit TV; and Automated bus and rail locator systems.

• Congress and the Administration should fund security infrastructure expansion, modernization and rehabilitation including: Permanent chemical, biological and explosive detection systems; Fencing and barriers, lighting, alarms and access control for tunnels, bridges, interlockings, track, yards and facilities; Redesign of infrastructure to eliminate hiding places; And the life safety program in New York City and to rehabilitate existing Baltimore and Washington, D.C. tunnels.

• Congress and the Administration should clarify that federal public transportation security funding can be used for extra personnel during heightened alert levels, payment for overtime costs, reassignment of law enforcement officers and increased training for security personnel.

• Congress and the Administration should provide flexible funding of at least $6 billion, $2 billion per year over a three year period, to safeguard the nation’s bus and rail critical infrastructure.

• Congress and the Administration should provide full and flexible funding for port security needs including: Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Detection and Prevention Systems; Video Surveillance and Threat Detection Cameras; Fiber Optic Communications Connectivity; Access control communications; Command and control facilities; and Personnel and detection dogs for screening and checking cargo and passengers.

• Congress and the Administration should provide a federal funding mechanism to sustain the significant annual operating costs for the reoccurring maintenance of the new security systems and security personnel salaries that have not yet been identified.

• Congress and the Administration should direct the Department of Homeland Security to issue Letters of Intent for multiyear funding to ports with plans to carry out long-term security improvements.

• Congress and the Administration should direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct an assessment of freight railroad notification procedures for the transport of hazardous materials through local jurisdictions.

• Congress and the Administration should direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a coordinated system for notifying appropriate local first responders of the transportation of rail hazardous materials through local jurisdictions, including a rail carrier’s comprehensive list of all hazardous materials scheduled to be transported.

• Congress and the Administration should direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation to work with railroad operators to increase physical security measures surrounding shipments and storage of hazardous materials, with such increases to include the number of hazardous materials inspectors employed by the Federal Railroad Administration, lighting fencing, alarms and access control for tunnels, bridges, interlockings, track, yards and facilities.

• Congress and the Administration should significantly increase funding and reimburse airports at the statutorially authorized Federal share for in-line baggage and cargo screening system and airport facility expansion to accommodate in-line systems to streamline airport and TSA operations, reduce screening costs, and enhance security.

• The United States Conference of Mayors reaffirms our policy calling for a fully federalized workforce at points of passenger, baggage and cargo inspections.

• Congress should increase, not decrease, funding for key first responder grant programs.

• Authorizing legislation should ensure that the waiver of the Cash Management Act, approved by Congress for fiscal years 2005 and 2006, is made permanent, and made retroactive for fiscal years prior to 2005.

• Congress and the Administration should support the establishment of regional logistics centers, not only those previously established under the Pre-Positioned Equipment Program within ODP, but also additional capabilities to be established under regional control, to help consolidate State and local assets, provide life-cycle management and maintenance of equipment, allow for easy identification and rapid deployment during an incident, and allow for the sharing of inventories across jurisdictions.

• Congress should work with the Conference of Mayors to make other refinements needed to the first responder program.

• Congress should restore funding for key law enforcement/homeland security programs like COPS and the Justice Assistance Grant program, and allow Department of Homeland Security first responder funding to be used for hiring and overtime for police, fire, and EMS personnel.

• Congress should amend the current state-based system for distribution of federal first responder assistance to provide a significant portion of the funding directly to cities and local areas.