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Homeland Security From Texas To Vermont
by Chloe Albanesius
The federal Citizen Corps program has allocated $1.4 million in grants to 57 local governments and regional organizations in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry announced Monday.
The program is intended to engage local residents in homeland security awareness via community emergency-response teams, medical reserves, volunteers in police service and neighborhood watches. Austin will receive $44,491, while Pearland, Rowlett and Temple will get $25,000 each.
"Homeland security efforts must include input and direction from local communities and the residents who best know how to prepare and respond in their area," Perry said in a release.
Also on Monday, Perry named Steven McCraw as Texas' homeland security director. McCraw most recently served as the assistant director of the FBI's inspection division, where he oversaw evaluation of FBI operations, strategic planning and execution and internal investigations.
In other security news, Vermont began a three-day health emergency drill Monday. Operation Red Clover coordinated an estimated 700 participants from the state's Health Department, area hospitals, and state and local agencies for a simulated outbreak of a deadly disease.
The test included: rapid information exchange among health professionals via the Health Alert Network; delivery of timely and accurate information to the public; deployment of drug stockpiles; and the activation of the incident command system to manage emergency response.
Alert Sparks Appeal For Security Aid
States reacted to the news this week that terrorists might be planning attacks on financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who recently has criticized the Homeland Security Department's response to his state's security concerns, penned a letter to President Bush on Tuesday urging him to restore security funding to the state.
The Democratic governor urged Bush to reconsider his fiscal 2005 budget proposal for New Jersey, which, at $44 million, was $11.4 million less than expected, McGreevey said. The money helps coordinate "infrastructure protection and response capabilities -- in other words, the funding helps us to prevent and, if necessary, respond to terrorist attacks," he wrote.
New Jersey "willingly" shares the homeland security burden with the New York region, but while the Bush administration has allocated $82 million to New York City for security preparations associated with the Republican National Convention, "New Jersey has yet to receive any additional funding."
"New Jersey is uniquely vulnerable, and federal dollars allocated so far simply aren't proportionate with the risks the state confronts," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced that he and Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich will join forces to implement stricter security measures in the wake of the elevated alert. Warner directed the state police to coordinate security strategies with local law enforcement and directed the Virginia Emergency Operations Center to disseminate information to all cities and counties on steps that should be taken by agencies not in law enforcement.
And Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner announced that due to the state's proximity to the areas seen as potential targets, she has told Delaware's Safety and Homeland Security Department "to take a number of precautions and to offer any assistance required to Delaware financial institutions," and has asked state residents to be vigilant in noting anything unusual.
N.H. Governor Laments Phone-Jamming Plan
New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson last week voiced his disappointment with Republican officials accused of jamming the telephone calls of political rivals.
Members of GOP Marketplace, a Virginia-based political consulting firm, allegedly contacted Mylo Enterprises to see if the company would call six different phone numbers belonging to the state's Democratic Party and statewide firefighters union in an effort to thwart the Democrats' get-out-the-vote effort during the 2002 election.
"I expect more from our political leaders than this attempt to interfere with the people's will in election," Benson, a Republican, said in a release. "This personally affected me, and my election could have been damaged by ill-advised and reckless behavior by members of my own party."
He called for a thorough investigation of the matter.
Grant Will Aid Online Learning In W.Va.
West Virginia schools will have access to Internet-based classes during the 2006-2007 school year thanks to a grant from the Wellman Family Foundation.
The program, SAS InSchool, will allow students from grades 8 to 12 in public, private and parochial schools to access core subjects online. "Technology, education and economic development go hand in hand," Gov. Bob Wise said in a release.
In other news, The New York Times reports that a court settlement reached Monday will allow disabled high-school students in Alaska to use various tools, such as computerized spell-checkers, on the state's standardized, mandatory graduation exam.
And Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas on Wednesday urged his state's residents to take advantage of an exemption from the state sales tax for computer purchases between Aug. 7 and Aug. 9. The second annual event allows for the tax break on systems costing more than $4,000. Officials chose the August date to coincide with back-to-school shopping.
California Panels Weigh Bills On Drug Imports
The California Appropriations Committee on Wednesday suggested that a bill calling on the General Services Department to explore the option of importing Canadian prescription drugs for California citizens be placed on its suspension file.
Appropriations committees in both houses use that file to temporarily hold bills with expenditures exceeding $150,000 in order to better evaluate the fiscal impact. General Services estimated that the one-time cost for a review and report on the imports measure, A.B. 1957, would cost $500,000 or more, while startup costs for a Web site would run about $400,000 and $200,000 annually thereafter for maintenance, according to a committee analysis.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that the Assembly Appropriations Committee was scheduled to vote Wednesday on related legislation, S.B. 1149, that calls on the California Board of Pharmacy to investigate imports rather than General Services. The board has voiced its opposition to the Senate-passed bill, citing the potential for thousands of dollars in litigation if residents receive tainted drugs.
The committee also released an analysis of S.B. 1333, which calls on the Department of Health Services to reimburse a California pharmacy for prescription drugs purchased from a Canadian pharmacy and which would require the department to reimburse that pharmacy for those prescription drugs. The committee took issue with a provision that called for rebate price comparisons between Canada and California because it is currently illegal in the state to disclose Medi-Cal drug rebate amounts.
Labor Chief Visits La. Job-Training Facility
Labor Secretary Elaine Chao on Tuesday visited a job-training facility in New Orleans that provides job seekers access to telephones, facsimile machines and computers to help with their searches.
"One-stop career centers are a valuable resource for workers who are looking for jobs and for employers looking for workers," Chao said in a release. "The centers are welcoming and helpful places where workers can access core employment-assistance services and get the training they need to find good jobs in high growth sectors."
The New Orleans Workforce Partnership Adult Career Center also provides on-the-job training, continuing education, financial aid information, resume writing and job-search workshops.
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