States form Homeland security panel
Jun 1, 2006 3:54 PM
Seeking a bigger say in Homeland security decisions, the nation's governors have created a 50-state panel to give the states a single voice on national plans to prepare for threats from terrorists and natural disasters.
The Homeland Security Advisors Council will aim to resolve problems between the federal and state governments that predate the 2002 creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from intelligence to funding to sharing National Guard resources, The Associated Press reports.
"If we speak with one unified voice, it'll help," says Michael Campion, Minnesota's public safety commissioner. "Absent that, we're not going to do anything. We're a voice in the wilderness."
The council will work through the National Governors Association (www.nga.org) with each governor appointing a top security official. The council plans to meet at least twice a year to share best practices and improve interstate communications.
The formation of the council comes a month after a survey of state Homeland security directors found widespread dissatisfaction with the way the federal government works with states. Among the top complaints: limited sharing of intelligence on possible terrorist threats; multiple burdens placed on National Guard troops; and, insufficient preparations for natural disasters and other emergencies, The AP reports.
The council will help inform governors, and will stress to the federal government that states want to be included in planning efforts, says Maj. Gen. Tim Lowenberg, head of the Washington National Guard and director of the state's emergency management division.
DHS spokesman Jarrod Agen told The AP that coordination with states has been improving, and that the agency has especially stepped up those efforts in advance of hurricane season.
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