Testifying with Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes and Michigan Gov. John Engler, Locke made his remarks April 10 before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C. The committee held the hearing to determine how best to protect against, and respond to, future terrorist attacks.
Locke has been closely involved in homeland defense issues since Sept. 11, including the deployment of the National Guard at the state's airports and along the state's border with Canada.
In his testimony, Locke thanked the committee for continuing to make homeland security a top priority and emphasized the state's commitment to partnering with the federal government on matters of homeland defense. The governor noted that even in the face of an economic downturn, 7.6 unemployment and the necessity to close a $1.6 billion budget deficit, Washington agencies and public health jurisdictions have already spent an additional $8 million since September 11 on a wide range of terrorism-response measures.
The governor also cited an urgent need for sustained federal support for bioterrorism preparedness, including support to the states and local communities to develop plans and hold terrorism-response exercises.
Locke highlighted two additional homeland defense concerns including enhanced U.S.-Canadian border security and shared intelligence information.
The governor said with one of the busiest border crossings in the nation, enhancing U.S.-Canadian border security is absolutely critical to Washington state. He noted the arrest of a documented terrorist who was apprehended entering Washington from Canada just before the new millennium. Ahmed Ressam, transporting a carload of explosives, was arrested while on his way to commit a terrorist act on the L.A. International Airport.
The governor expressed his appreciation for the authorization of increased federal staffing along the border, but said he was gravely concerned about the decision to federalize National Guard troops for border duty and the decision to allow these troops to serve unarmed.
Locke urged the senators to consider activating National Guard troops for border duty in the same manner that the Guard was activated for airport security - under state control.
The governor said posting unarmed troops at the border places them in unnecessary danger and adds undue burden on federal agents to provide force protection when they should be focused on preventing suspicious materials and people from entering the country.
Locke also stated that the nation's governors need timely and secure access to intelligence information from a number of federal agencies, and those agencies need to share information with one another as well as with other state officials.
"Federal security clearances should be standardized and reciprocal between agencies and levels of government," the governor said.
Locke noted the present "costly and grossly inefficient" requirements that state officials obtain a separate security clearance from each separate federal agency, or that one federal agency refuses to recognize security clearances granted by another federal agency.
Emphasizing the important role of the states in managing and coordinating homeland security funding, Locke concluded his testimony by urging the committee "to develop a consistent, long-term funding structure that helps state and local governments prepare for this new era of global terrorism."
