Congressman Thompson Introduces Legislation to Improve Local Emergency Management Training
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced introduction of legislation to help local governments improve their capability to respond to disasters as natural disasters continue to grow in frequency and intensity and place greater strain on local emergency management personnel. The Emergency Management Support Act (H.R. 3626) ensures local emergency management personnel will routinely receive professional training to strengthen local emergency management capacity.
“In a world with more frequent and more intense natural disasters, greater responsibility is being placed on emergency managers to plan for and respond to these hazards. The destruction from the March 24 tornado in my district was a stark reminder that emergency managers face unprecedented disasters,” said Congressman Thompson. “Lessons learned from past disasters demonstrate that proper emergency management training improves disaster response and can save lives. That’s why I’ve introduced this legislation. We must do more to ensure that our local jurisdictions have the capacity and training to respond to increasingly destructive disasters. I look forward to working with my colleagues on getting this legislation passed.”
Specifically, this legislation amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to direct States, through FEMA’s Emergency Management Performance Grant, to require local emergency management directors to complete emergency management training within one year after the enactment of the bill and complete recurrent training with certifications to be submitted to FEMA annually. This legislation is also co-sponsored by Rep. Troy A. Carter Sr. (D-LA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management & Technology. Read more on the legislation here.
# # #
Press Contact
Adam Comis at 202-225-9978
Next Article Previous Article