Congressman Pete King

House Passes King Bill Restoring Funding for Nuclear and Radiological Detection Program Around New York City

Crucial Program May Expand to Other Metropolitan Areas

January 20, 2010

Today, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 2611, a bipartisan bill introduced last May by U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, which will restore funding and permanently authorize the Securing the Cities Initiative, a partnership among federal, state and local authorities to prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism through a ring of detection devices in and around the New York metropolitan area. In addition to protecting New York City, H.R. 2611 authorizes expansion of the Securing the Cities program to additional high-risk metropolitan areas. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, was a cosponsor of the legislation.

“Securing the Cities is the only program dedicated to preventing the introduction of a nuclear device or dirty bomb into New York City or one of our other major cities,” said King. “Securing the Cities is essential. That is why I have fought so hard over the past several years to secure funding for this vital program -- developed and first implemented in New York City -- and now to be replicated elsewhere. The House of Representatives today has recognized that Securing the Cities is critical to the protection of al-Qaeda’s top target, New York City, and to the nation as a whole.”

H.R. 2611 authorizes funding for New York’s Securing the Cities program at $40 million for FY 2010, $20 million for FY 2011, and $10 million to sustain the program in future years. The bill authorizes additional funding for no fewer than two other high-risk metropolitan areas participating in the Urban Area Security Initiative, a risk-based grant program administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

Last year, after the Obama Administration eliminated funding for Securing the Cities, King and Clarke offered an amendment to the FY 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Act to fully restore the necessary $40 million in funding for FY 2010. The amendment passed the House by a strong, bipartisan majority. However, the Senate provided only $20-million, which was the final amount approved by the Congress.

King has fought for funding for the Securing the Cities Initiative for nearly three years. In 2008, King introduced H.R. 5531, “The Next Generation Radiation Screening Act of 2008,” which passed the House with overwhelming support. In 2007, King fought for and secured the full $40 million for Securing the Cities in the face of efforts to cut the funding in half.