"It's even more important that we coordinate and collaborate with each other," said Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a co-chairman of the National Governors Association's anti-terrorism task force. "We felt it was important to assess where states are in developing their plans and strategies."
Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt, co-chairman of the task force, said that in the next few months, the governors would start a pilot project looking at ways to improve the sharing of information among law enforcement, corrections officials, courts, homeland security directors, health agencies and hospitals.
The five to eight states that will participate have not been chosen.
Barnes said the governors are willing to shoulder their share of the costs, but noted that billions of dollars in federal money promised to the states has never been provided.
"To date, the main costs of homeland security have been borne almost entirely by the state and local governments," Barnes said. "We cannot wait until next year for financial assistance from the federal government."
He called on Congress to include several billion dollars to help states with homeland security in its continuing budget resolution at the end of September. That resolution is needed for the federal government to continue operating because Congress has not passed its annual spending bills.
"We need some clear lines of delineation of how much money is going to be available, how it's going to flow, and the flexibility to make sure we continue to provide security for our citizens," Barnes said.
The NGA has put together a guidebook on emergency management for governors, including almost two-dozen new governors who will take office after Election Day.
"After Nov. 5, there will be a minimum of 21 new governors taking office," said Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. "Within two weeks [of the election], they will have this document."
The guide provides information on how to create a homeland security team, set up alert systems and communicate with the public in a time of crisis. It also defines emergency powers of the governor and outlines the role of the National Guard.
"There is no way we can guarantee there will never be another incident," Barnes said. "But we can greatly reduce the probabilities and guarantee we'll have a much better, quicker response."
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