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History of NCSL Executive Committee Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

The tragic events of September 11 were not only an attack upon the people of our homeland, but upon the way of life insured by America's democratic institutions. Freedom of expressions, diversity, and openness are abhorrent to the terrorists who brutally waged war on American soil against innocent civilians. To assist in coordinating a response to issues raised in the aftermath of September 11, the National Conference of State Legislatures has created the Task Force on Protecting Democracy.

The mission of the task force is to:

• Provide guidelines to coordinate the activities of, and facilitate exchanging information between and among, states, local governments, and the federal government to strengthen homeland security.
• Share information on the relevant informational, financial and physical resources of state and local governments and the federal government in an effort to maximize the contributions that each level of government can provide to improve homeland security.
• Assist legislatures in sharing expertise and advice on issues of public safety, homeland security, emergency preparedness and public health in order to protect our democratic institutions and way of life.
• Provide guidelines applicable to all levels of government to build upon Americans' renewed patriotism to strengthen all citizens' participation in democracy

The interim report of the task force was released in July 2002. It consists of the guidelines referred to in the first and fourth statements above, and check lists of issues that policy makers in the states can use to evaluate the readiness of public health, public safety, homeland security, emergency preparedness and response capacity in their states, along with related resources that may exist of that may be needed to protect democracy.