NGA Announces State Homeland Security Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Governors Association's (NGA) Center for Best Practices released an issue brief on Wednesday outlining the states' top-10 homeland-security priorities.

The priorities were identified, and agreed to, by America's 55 state and territorial homeland-security directors on behalf of their governors. With hundreds of potential homeland-security concerns, this marks the first time that America's states and territories have established a common list of top national priorities, according to the NGA.

The issue brief, "States' Homeland Security Priorities," is being made available to all appropriate federal, state and local officials to assist them in planning their future homeland security policies and procedures.

"As chief executives, homeland security is a top priority for every governor in America," said NGA Chairman Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton. "This issue brief outlines, for governors and federal officials, the top issues that must be addressed to help prevent further attacks and respond to any future incidents."

To determine the top priorities outlined in the issue brief, the NGA's Center for Best Practices worked with state homeland-security directors, analyzing the states' and territories' written responses to the Office of Homeland Security's request for state input into the national strategy.

The top priorities and issues identified by the state and territorial officials are:

- Coordination must involve all levels of government;

- The federal government must disseminate timely intelligence information to the states;

- States must work with local governments to develop interoperable communications between first responders, and adequate wireless spectrum must be set aside to do the job;

- State and local governments need help and technical assistance to identify and protect critical infrastructure;

- The states and the federal government must focus on enhancing bio terrorism preparedness and re-building the nation's public health system to address 21st century threats;

- The federal government should provide adequate federal funding and support to ensure that homeland security needs are met;

- The federal government should work with states to protect sensitive security information, including restricting access to information available through "freedom of information" requests;

- An effective system must be developed that secures points of entry at borders, airports, and seaports without placing an undue burden on commerce;

- The National Guard has proven itself to be an effective force during emergencies and crises. The mission of the National Guard should remain flexible, and Guard units should primarily remain under the control of the governor during times of crises; and

- Federal agencies should integrate their command systems into existing state and local incident-command systems rather than requiring state and local agencies to adapt to federal command systems

The priorities outlined in the Issue Brief will be further detailed and addressed in NGA's "A Governor's Guide to Emergency Management Volume 2: Homeland Security," which is scheduled for release in mid September.

The National Governors Association