Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Edolphus Towns took another step towards making our nation safer by voting to implement the unfulfilled recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.  This measure focuses on improving homeland security, preventing terrorists from acquiring "weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)," and developing strategies for preventing the

"The most important issue facing our country is the safety of American families.  That is why one of the first pieces of legislation that the House Democratic Leadership brought to the House Floor in this new Congress is this bill to make our nation safer,' said Congressman Towns.

Last year, the 9/11 Commissioners gave Congress and the current Presidential Administration several poor grades on implementing their recommendations, including; five F's, 12 D's and two Incompletes.  This critical bill responds to these grades by putting forth specific steps that address the shortfalls highlighted by the 9/11 Commissioners.

Included in the bill are some long-overdue measures that will substantially improve homeland security, among them:

· Creating a stand-alone grant program to provide first responders with the equipment that allows them to communicate with each other during emergencies;

· Phasing in a requirement of 100% inspection of the cargo carried on passenger aircraft over the next three years (most cargo is still not inspected);

· Accelerating the installation of explosive detection systems for checked baggage at the nation's airports;

· Improving explosive detection systems at passenger checkpoints at the nation's airports; and

· Phasing in a requirement of 100% scanning of U.S. bound shipping containers over the next five years.

Another provision in this bill would overhaul the first responder funding formula.  As it stands now, each state is awarded .75% of funding before any risk allocation is made.  This legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to allocate funding on the basis of risk, then "top off" funding for each state to guarantee .25% or .45% for border states.  This change from a base-plus system to a true minimum will significantly help New York which has not received adequate funding.

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