Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), supported the approval of the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security appropriations bill during its consideration by the full House Appropriations Committee. The funds in this bill will support a wide range of federal programs including, but not limited to, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“This bill funds programs that protect our country’s land, sea, and air borders as well as make it safe from cyber-attacks. It secures our airports and harbors but also supports our local law enforcement and emergency services to prevent crime as well as respond to accidents and natural disasters,” said Congressman Bishop. “I am pleased to have secured direct funding for Miller County’s emergency services so that they can better coordinate first responders and make our community safer.”
The Miller County, Georgia, project will upgrade communications consoles in the Emergency Operations Center. The updated emergency communications systems will allow the county to better coordinate its personnel in response to accidents, crime, and natural disasters. Congressman Bishop will fight to maintain the funding for this project as the appropriations bill progresses through the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
“The funding of the Emergency Operations Center 911 equipment upgrade for Miller County would be a great benefit to the county. It would allow us to upgrade our outdated equipment and give our citizens some peace of mind that help will be available in their time of need,” said Douglas Cofty, County Manager of Miller County. “We would like to thank Congressman Bishop for his support on this project.”
“We would like to thank Congressman Bishop for seeing the need of rural communities and choosing to fund our project to upgrade our Emergency Operations Center. It would have been a tremendous burden on our taxpayers if we had to bear all the expense. This upgrade will allow us to better serve the citizens of our community in a safe and more efficient manner,” said Debbie Henry, Director of the Emergency Management Agency of Miller County.
This project is part of the overall Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security appropriations bill which provides $85.67 billion of funding for various agencies and programs. Some highlights include:
- Over $25 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, which includes $4.05 billion for grants and training and $19.95 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund.
- $15.74 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to sustain current programs; equip officers, technicians, and staff with video monitoring technology; and improve childcare, medical, and healthcare services.
- $2.46 billion for Homeland Security Investigations, which includes non-intrusive vehicle inspections, cyber-crime, human trafficking, and other programs.
- $9.77 billion for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure passenger security and improve screening/law enforcement capabilities.
Original source can be found here.
