Washington D.C. (March 4, 2016) |Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s (R-GA) bill, the ALERT Act, which has passed the House, removes bureaucratic barriers and paves the way for the federal government to enhance state and local law enforcement's involvement in fighting the war on terrorism. Rep. Loudermilk delivered the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of the bill:
"As we are moving into a new era of terrorism that directly threatens our own communities, we must re-evaluate how we meet these threats,” said Rep. Loudermilk. “That’s why I introduced the ALERT Act, to provide training, improve coordination, and increase community awareness of the foreign fighter threat. As the threats against America by radical Islamists increases, fighting terrorism cannot be a singular effort, conducted by one element of our federal government; it requires the cooperation and coordination of multiple levels of all governments and local community participation."
Background on the ALERT Act:
H.R. 4401, the Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terrorism Act of 2016, authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to train State and major urban area fusion centers (local and state law enforcement personnel) in the most effective tactics and methods used to counter terrorism. It also provides increased community awareness of ongoing terrorist threats, and directs DHS to notify Congress on the number of security clearances they issue to state and local law enforcement communities.
To read a full transcript of Rep. Loudermilk’s floor speech, click here.
