County group develops homeland security plan

President Bush must give sufficient attention to boosting homeland security at the local level in his State of the Union address, and Congress must act quickly on his proposals, National Association of Counties (NACo) President Javier Gonzales said Monday.

NACo has developed a six-point plan it believes will help the nation's counties better prepare themselves for attacks: establish a homeland security tax credit; rebuild the public health system; approve a homeland security block grant; ensure that White House Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has authority to direct resources; establish a homeland security fund to provide needed money to state and local governments; and strengthen public-safety communication.

The tax credit would allow businesses and corporations to write off donations toward homeland security initiatives, such as purchasing communications equipment or high-tech security for water or power facilities.

"This provides benefits to everyone," Gonzales said during a speech at the National Press Club. "It will stimulate the economy, give counties and other local governments needed resources, and allow the company to do its part to protect our homeland."

Congress' recent appropriation of $865 million for state and local health departments is an "excellent first step," Gonzales said, but Bush and Congress must make a long-term commitment to making improvements, including upgrading computers and communication technology. According to a NACo survey, less than 10 percent of the county health departments in the country are prepared for a bioterrorism crisis.

Bush addressed the issue of homeland security block grants last week, when he announced that $3.5 billion in such grants for "first responders" to emergencies would be included in his fiscal 2003 budget. But that money should be allocated directly to counties and cities and not to the states, said Gonzales and other groups, such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

NACo is urging that those grants be under the purview of Ridge's office. "Direct allocation will ensure that the resources are spent on local programs as the president intends, and not lost in a state legislature or in state political battles," Gonzales said.

NACo is joining a host of federal lawmakers and other local groups in calling for Ridge to be given more budget authority over homeland security spending. But Gonzales hailed efforts being made by Ridge's office and Ruben Barrales, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, to communicate with local officials.

Gonzalez said NACo fully supports Ridge's efforts to create a local advisory council comprised of city and county officials, mayors and governors to advise the administration on handling issues such as border security and alerts on terrorism threats.

A homeland security fund would be established to supplement federal, state or local money, Gonzales said, and could be funded by having the government sell bonds or giving Americans the option to donate money by checking a box on their income-tax returns.

NACo also advocates passage of a federal bill to free the 700-megahertz band of spectrum for public safety use.