DHS

October 15, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minneapolis) secured a $750,000 appropriation for the City of Minneapolis to build a new Emergency Operations Center in a bill approved by the House today. The funds were included in H.R. 2892, the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for FY 2010.

The bill is expected to easily pass the Senate and will be signed into law by President Obama. The current Operations Center was used to coordinate the local, state, and federal emergency response to the August 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis.    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., today announced that the Department of Homeland Security has awarded a contract in the amount of more than $2.75 million to BrooAlexa Design Joint Venture, LLC, of Dunbar, West Virginia, to begin the initial planning and development for the construction of new dormitories at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.    » read more »

Legislation, crafted in part by Congressman Rothman, brings over $4 million in congressionally-directed security funding to New Jersey

October 15, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2892, the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Conference Report, which was authored by Congressman Rothman and fellow members of the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee.

This spending measure determines all federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including, but not limited to, supporting our first responders, investing in border security and securing our nation’s mass transit, our sea, rail and airports.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 - WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announced today that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $42.8 billion fiscal year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that includes funding for the Westmoreland County Alternate Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The House and Senate conferenced this bill, which must now be passed by the full Senate before heading to the President for his signature. The House passed the bill 307-114.    » read more »

House Passes the Homeland Security Appropriations Act

October 15, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-Dover) helped the House pass crucial investments in priority homeland security programs. The Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2892), which passed the House of Representatives today with broad bipartisan support, increases federal funding for securing America's borders, ports and airports.    » read more »

10/15/2009 -- WASHINGTON – Congressman Parker Griffith voted today to pass the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2010 and to increase funding for border security and immigration law enforcement. H.R. 2892 passed the House Floor Friday and will be sent to the Senate before being signed into law by the President.

“Congress has taken a step in the right direction toward a serious and sustained effort to secure our borders,” Griffith said. “The security of this nation is priority number one, and this legislation provides critical funding to secure our borders, train our local first responders and safeguard the American people.”    » read more »

House approves $42.7 billion for Homeland Security, including provisions inserted by Giffords

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – A provision by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to improve and extend operation of an employee verification system was part of a $42.7 billion national security appropriation bill approved today by the House of Representatives.

“Employers must be held responsible if they knowingly hire illegal immigrants,” Giffords said. “But employers must also be able to rely on the federal government to provide a reliable system for determining a potential employee’s legal status.”    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Bobby Bright supported the Conference Report on the Homeland Security Appropriations Act today. H.R. 2892 funds the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2010, which includes the Border Patrol, FEMA, air and port security agencies, and grants for first responders. The bipartisan bill passed by a bi-partisan 307-114 margin. Upon Senate passage, the bill goes to the President to be signed into law.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced $88 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) equipment—enhancing border security by expanding U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) capabilities to scan commercial traffic for contraband through X-ray and other imaging technologies.

"These cutting-edge technologies will help us better detect threats at our nation's borders while expediting legitimate travel and trade," said Secretary Napolitano. "The Recovery Act has infused critical resources into local economies across the country while strengthening our nation's security."    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide the state of Missouri with $37,801,428.07 in federal grant money to help repair damage resulting from the severe ice storms that swept through Southeast Missouri in January 2009.

According to FEMA, the state of Missouri is responsible for distributing the funding to the recipients. Specifically, the grants will go to:    » read more »

Major Boost For High Threat Areas, Transit, And Ports; House and Senate Set to Approve DHS Funding Bill Next Weeks

October 9, 2009 -- (New York, NY) – In light of Najibullah Zazi’s efforts to stage a terrorist attack against New York City's mass transit system, U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that New York City is in line to receive millions in additional security funding to protect our city against terrorist attacks.    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton today announced new initiatives as part of the Department's ongoing immigration detention reform efforts—enhancing the security and efficiency of ICE's nationwide detention system while prioritizing the health and safety of detainees.

"These new initiatives will improve accountability and safety in our detention facilities as we continue to engage in smart and effective enforcement of our nation's immigration laws," said Secretary Napolitano.    » read more »

October 07, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today formally issued a final rule rescinding the Social Security “no match” rule. The “no match” rule, which was never implemented, would have forced employers to fire workers based on discrepancies in their Social Security records. DHS first announced its plan to rescind the rule in July, and with today’s publication of a final rule in the Federal Register, the rescission will go into effect in 30 days.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - House and Senate negotiators today reached agreement on the Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, paving the way for its final approval and delivery to the President for his signature. As the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman David Price (D-NC) was responsible for drafting and shepherding the bill through the House of Representatives and was one of the lead negotiators at today’s conference committee.

Today’s agreement resolved the remaining differences between the versions of the bill passed in the House and Senate.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) sweeping changes to the Immigration Detention System:

“I commend the Obama Administration and Secretary Napolitano for establishing new initiatives to begin reforming our nation’s broken immigration detention system,” stated Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. “I pleased to see that DHS is taking the additional steps necessary to address these concerns.”    » read more »