House panel criticizes overdue response plan

WASHINGTON -- An emergency services director from Nevada on Tuesday sought to assure anxious members of a House subcommittee that the Department of Homeland Security and state officials are cooperating to meet the communications needs of first responders in case of disasters.

Richard Mirgon, director of technology services for the Douglas County Emergency Communications Center in Minden, said state officials are working with the Homeland Security Department in developing a National Emergency Communications Plan.

"The primary concerns we have about the (plan) is that the (Homeland Security Department) may not have the necessary funding and resources to accomplish the objectives of the plan," said Mirgon, who also is a vice president of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers International.

But Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, the chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on emergency communications, preparedness and response, complained that the plan is already three months overdue.

Cuellar pressed Robert D. Jamison, the Homeland Security undersecretary for national protection and programs directorate, to give him a date when the plan would be submitted to the panel.

Jamison said the plan would be submitted this month, but declined to give a date.

A perturbed Cuellar said Mirgon and other local emergency officials seem to know more about the plan than members of Congress.

"So I hope the secretary and everybody understands why we, as the oversighters if I can use that term, feel a little uncomfortable that you all seem to know what's going on and we haven't seen it yet," Cuellar said.

Even more exasperated was Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., who urged Jamison to "come clean" and tell the panel what was holding up the plan.

Lowey and other subcommittee members expressed concern that states might not receive grants they are expecting Aug. 1 if the communications plan is not released.

"I think you need to take a message back that this committee is really upset with bureaucrats who are holding this up because we may not be able to get the money," Lowey said.

Jamison and Chris Essid, the Homeland Security department's director of the office of emergency communications, said they do not expect the grants to be delayed because the department and state agencies know what needs to be done.

Mirgon agreed, saying it is important to develop a national communications plan to provide guidance on how the money should be spent.