Mayors discuss infrastructure security with Congress | 01.18.2007 | 06:46:30 | Views: 5387 | ID: January 18 '07: Delegates from the United States Conference of Mayors met with newly-elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) to discuss homeland security grants and other "critical issues", a press release announced this week. The meeting on Capitol Hill focused on a 10-point plan called the "Strong Cities, Strong Families for a Strong America." The plan will be presented to the mayors' annual winter meeting in Washington D.C.. Among the points outlined in the new initiative, a federal/local partnership will be created to provide law enforcement officials with the ability to deploy "personnel, support local innovations, fight domestic violence and fund technology that helps fight crime." The plan also calls for the restoration of the COPS and local block grant program. Other points include increased federal funding for interoperable communications abilities for state and local first responders and the creation of a "stand-alone, Federal emergency communications grant program to carry out initiatives to improve interoperable communications" as well as targeted federal grants for states and localities' interoperable programs. Transit security and infrastructure security grants were also outlined: tax incentives to boost public/private partnerships "to improve infrastructure including transportation, water, wastewater, brownfield, energy, telecommunications, schools and affordable housing." As well, transit security grants would focus on communications, surveillance, detection systems and training personnel.
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