Series 2558: Constituent Correspondence, 2000-2003
36266
From: "The Council of State Governments" <alindon@csg.org> BC: Governor Musgrove Created: 10/23/2001 3:55 PM Subject: CSG's Trends Forecast Report Message: CSG's Trends Forecast Report Essential Steps in Planning for Terrorism According to Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, to be properly prepared for terrorist attacks, a well-coordinated strategy must be formulated that involves all levels of government, including the states. In responding to the consequences of terrorism, Gov. Gilmore says there are a few important steps that must be taken by the states to protect residents. First, a state's terrorism preparedness organization need not and should not be created as a separate entity. Indeed, Gov. Gilmore believes the organization will function more smoothly the more it resembles a state's existing emergency management and law enforcement structure. Lead state agencies should be appointed to deal with both law enforcement and emergency management. In some cases, this may be the same agency while in others the law enforcement and emergency management roles will be designated to separate agencies. The organization should augment and reinforce local capabilities - after all, local government will be on the scene first - and fill any gaps in local capabilities. Second, Gilmore states that each state also needs to assess its own levels of training. Virginia has taken the approach similar to that required by OSHA for the training of hazardous materials response personnel. Gov. Gilmore emphasizes that a terrorism training program must be rooted in state law, state organization, state levels of training and state concepts of operation. Gov. Gilmore believes that governors of individual states will play a prominent role in the development and implementation of a terrorism preparedness strategy, as governors will provide the critical link, and the leadership, between Washington and the communities. Gov. Gilmore chairs the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, which is responsible for evaluating national efforts designed to improve the United States' capabilities to respond to domestic terrorist attacks. The full article, "State Preparedness for Terrorism," will appear in the Fall 2001 issue of Spectrum: The Journal of State Government. To purchase or subscribe to Spectrum, call (859) 244-8220, or subscribe online by clicking here. Reprint permissions may be obtained by contacting Susan Haney at (859) 244-8235. Tested by Terrorism New York's emergency response plan is the only one that has been tested by terrorism according to New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Sen. Bruno reviews the emergency response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. According to Sen. Bruno, local leaders could look to Washington, D.C. and New York City for a dramatic example of a city that wasn't prepared to respond to terrorist attacks and one that was. After the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the potential threat of attacks on the White House, officials in Washington, D.C. admitted they did not have an appropriate response plan in place. Sen. Bruno reports that emergency communication equipment was locked away in an office, other communications equipment became overloaded, evacuation plans weren't put into effect, there were no guidelines in place for a police response and the public was left in the dark. In contrast, in Sen. Bruno's view, New York had an effective emergency response plan in place at both the city and state levels that could be implemented immediately. Local hospitals executed emergency plans, the lines of communication between city officials and emergency service personnel were opened, and transportation was put in place to help evacuate people from lower Manhattan to safety. Meanwhile, 150 miles to the north in Albany, the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) went into action to coordinate the disaster response between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and localities. The week after the attacks, the New York State Senate passed a package of bills submitted by Gov. George Pataki that makes New York's anti-terrorism laws the toughest in the nation, according to Sen. Bruno. The new laws include a provision for capital punishment for terrorists as well as stiff prison sentences for anyone who makes a terrorist threat, provides support for terrorism or hinders the prosecution of terrorists. The anti-terrorism legislation that was enacted in to law compliments federal counter-terrorism efforts to bring terrorists and their supporters to justice. Sen. Bruno concludes by stating, "Certainly, New York State didn't want to be the model for how to respond to terrorism. But we will be the model for other states and cities to follow so terrorism can be stopped and lives can be saved." Sen. Bruno has served as New York's Senate Majority Leader since 1995. The full article, "New York's Emergency Response Plan - Tested by Terrorism," will appear in the Fall 2001 issue of Spectrum: The Journal of State Government. To purchase or subscribe to Spectrum, call (859) 244-8220, or subscribe online by clicking here. Reprint permissions may be obtained by contacting Susan Haney at (859) 244-8235. Commitment by Leaders is Key Ellen Gordon, recently appointed Iowa's Homeland Security Advisor, believes that state government has the responsibility to provide the leadership to bring together public and private partners to strengthen state capabilities to respond to and recover from all disasters, including acts of terrorism. According to Gordon, during the process of planning for the response and recovery as well as the mitigation efforts from a terrorist attack, it is important that policy-makers in all three branches of government address the following key issues: Have states provided the highest level of support they can to local government for emergency management matters? Has the federal government provided the highest level of support it can to state government for emergency management matters? Are state laws effective in providing the proper authority to the response agencies? What is the proper use of the military in response to and recovery from terrorist attacks? If a biological attack were to occur, do states know how they will handle the quarantine of the residents of the state? How do states balance the proper level of security while at the same time ensuring that civil liberties are not violated? What is the proper level of security for state facilities? How should state government respond to credible threats? What information, plans and procedures should be kept confidential? To effectively implement a domestic preparedness strategy within the state, not only is it important that governors and state legislators ensure that disaster preparedness initiatives are given appropriate priority and funding, but they must provide the leadership in requiring coordination at the highest levels of government. Ellen Gordon has been the administrator for the Iowa Emergency Management Division since 1986, and was appointed Iowa's Homeland Security Advisor on October 9, 2001 by Gov. Tom Vilsack. The full article, "State Preparedness for Terrorism," will appear in the Fall 2001 issue of Spectrum: The Journal of State Government. To purchase or subscribe to Spectrum, call (859) 244-8220, or subscribe online by clicking here. Reprint permissions may be obtained by contacting Susan Haney at (859) 244-8235. The Fall 2001 issue of Spectrum: The Journal of State Government includes a special section on counterterrorism. The issue of legislative term limits is also explored within the fall issue. Recently, The Council of State Governments launched a national mission to help state leaders better prepare for the future by identifying emerging trends and issues that might have significant impact on state priorities and policymaking. This new CSG's Trends Forecast Report is an effort to provide foresight for state officials across the nation. The information in this monthly report is condensed from CSG's quarterly journal, Spectrum: The Journal of State Government. For more information on the contents of this report or Spectrum, please contact CSG, PO Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910; (859) 244-8220; or alindon@csg.org. If you would like to subscribe to Spectrum, click here. If you want more information on CSG's national trends mission or state trends, please contact Rachel Zietlow at (859)244-8108 or trends@csg.org. If you want to submit a potential trend to CSG for further analysis, please e-mail the information to trends@csg.org. The Council of State Governments is the nation's only organization serving all elected and appointed officials in all three branches of state and territorial government in the United States through its national headquarters, as well as regional offices based in the East, Midwest, South and West. CSG has championed excellence in state government since 1933 by advocating multi-state problem-solving and states' rights; tracking national conditions, trends and innovations; and providing nonpartisan leadership training and support. For more information about CSG, see our web site at www.csg.org. - Attachment Filename: C:\archives\governor\mail\Governor Musgrove\_attach\CSG's Trends Forecast Report\TEXT.htm - Attachment Filename: C:\archives\governor\mail\Governor Musgrove\_attach\CSG's Trends Forecast Report\Mime.822
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