Donovan reappointed chairman of anti-terror subcommittee

February 1, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan says he plans to hit the ground running with an aggressive hearing schedule and legislative agenda. Photo courtesy of Donovan’s office

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In a move that signaled his strong standing with the House Republican leadership, U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan has been reappointed to serve as chairman of a key subcommittee dealing anti-terror policies. On Tuesday, the lawmaker announced that three homeland security bills that he had sponsored were passed by the House.

Donovan (R-C-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications.

Donovan said he was particularly pleased to be head of the subcommittee because his congressional district, which has a high concentration of cops, firefighters and other emergency personnel, suffered severe losses in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“It’s an incredible opportunity and a remarkable privilege to chair a subcommittee that’s so important to the security of New York City and the country. I plan to hit the ground running with an aggressive hearing and legislative agenda,” Donovan said in a statement.

Donovan said his focus will be on improving federal security grant programs and streamlining cooperation between federal, state and local agencies.

Donovan, whose congressional district was also hit hard by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, said he would work toward improving the federal disaster recovery process.

In 2016, Donovan fought former President Barak Obama’s proposed cuts to homeland security funding for cities. At Donovan’s first hearing as subcommittee chairman, Mayor Bill de Blasio testified about the heightened risk posed to New Yorkers by the proposed cuts. Donovan said his efforts were successful and Congress provided full funding to the Urban Areas Security Initiative in a subsequent funding package.

On Tuesday, the House passed a trio of homeland security bills sponsored by Donovan. The bills, the Securing Cities Act of 2017, the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act and the Cyber Preparedness Act, all passed with broad bipartisan support, according to Donovan.

The legislation is aimed at bulking up the country’s defenses against nuclear, transit and cybersecurity threats.

“Your government’s greatest responsibility is to protect the American people. We have to be constantly vigilant and ensure that law enforcement officials have the resources necessary to prepare for and respond to terror threats. My bills will bolster nuclear, cyber and transit defenses, and ultimately make the homeland safer,” Donovan said.

Here is a summary of three bills:

Securing the Cities Act of 2017: The bill makes permanent the Securing the Cities program, which defends cities against radiological and nuclear attacks. The program provides cities, including New York, with training and equipment to detect radiological material.
Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act: The bill seeks to improve the ability of transit agencies to prevent and respond to terror attacks by rewriting the rules of Transit Security Grant Program to permit program recipients to use grant funds for additional security training costs.

Cyber Preparedness Act of 2017: The bill would streamline the nation’s cybersecurity procedures to improve cyberthreat information sharing and coordination between federal, state and local authorities.

All three bills will now go to the Senate for consideration.