Res. No. 447
Resolution calling on the United States Senate to approve additional federal funding for cities at the greatest risk of terrorist attack, and calling on the US House of Representatives to reconsider its vote on rejecting such a proposal.
By Council Members Vallone Jr., Addabbo Jr., Avella, Clarke, Comrie, Fidler, Gentile, Jackson, Liu, Nelson, Recchia Jr., Reed, Sanders Jr., Sears, Weprin, Gerson and Gennaro
Whereas, On June 21, 2004, in an early morning vote, the US House of Representatives rejected an amendment to provide nearly $500 million to pay for security initiatives in cities believed to be at greatest risk of attack; and
Whereas, The amendment, sponsored by Reps Carolyn Maloney and John Sweeney, sought to shift approximately $446 million from a nationwide antiterrorism program to one specifically aimed at New York City and other high risk cities; and
Whereas, The amendment was offered to a bill that provides $33 billion for the budget of the Department of Homeland Security; and
Whereas, This bill, passed by the House without the additional money for high risk areas, now moves on to the Senate, where there is an opportunity to correct this wrong decision; and
Whereas, It is no secret that New York City is a prime target for terrorists; we have been attacked on four occasions over the past ten years, and almost all those captured by law enforcement with links to terrorist organizations report that New York City, with its dense population and as the center of finance, commerce and the arts, is a target for attack; and
Whereas, As has been documented at numerous hearings of the Public Safety Committee, New York City gets shortchanged in federal homeland security dollars; for example, under Department of Homeland Security grants, New York State received $103.2 million in FFY04, or $5.44 per capita, whereas Wyoming received $18.8 million in FFY04, or $38.09 per capita; and
Whereas, As Mayor Bloomberg observed after the House vote, “I’ve never seen a terrorist with a map of a cornfield in his pocket…when you catch a terrorist with a map in their pocket, the map is of New York City;” and
Whereas, For years, this Council has called for an equitable distribution of federal money based solely on risk assessment and target potential, and urged that federal Urban Area Security Initiative funding be limited to ten or less of the largest US cities, and that it be awarded directly to the limited number of urban areas and not to the States with a pass-through requirement to localities; and
Whereas, The US Senate now has an opportunity to undo the mistake made by the House and to provide New York City with desperately needed homeland security aid; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the city of New York calls on the United States Senate to approve additional federal funding for cities at the greatest risk of terrorist attack, and calling on the US House of Representatives to reconsider its vote on rejecting such a proposal.