Status of A&M Emergency Training Center Protected
Congressman Kevin Brady today announced that a compromise has been reached that will protect the ability of the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), a component of Texas A&M University, to serve as a nationally recognized emergency response, counter-terrorism, and rescue training center.
"TEEX has already gained a reputation for providing superior emergency training," said Brady. "This compromise recognizes the effectiveness of TEEX and opens the door for a national-level designation."
Concern about TEEX’s national designation was raised earlier this week when it was discovered that Alabama Senator Richard Shelby had requested $2 million in federal funding for a similar center to be located at the soon to be closed Fort McClellan, Alabama. In the view of many in the Texas Congressional delegation, designation of the Ft. McClellan site would have undermined efforts already underway at TEEX.
Senator Shelby requested the funds as part of the annual spending bill that funds the departments of Commerce, Justice, and State. That bill is now being considered by a House-Senate conference charged with resolving funding differences between the two chambers.
Brady and Rep. Pete Sessions authored a letter to the conferees on behalf of TEEX. The letter was co-signed by 24 Texas House members and urged a compromise to accommodate both TEEX and the concerns of Senator Shelby. After negotiations, compromise language was adopted late yesterday that will eventually secure for TEEX the national recognition that it has sought for its training center for over four years.
Upon learning of the compromise, Brady cited the effort of Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in supporting the TEEX emergency training program. Hutchison was a member of the House-Senate conference that dealt with the issue.
TEEX has been working since 1993 and has invested $700,000 to establish a state-of-the-art training center. To supplement its 62 acre fire training field, TEEX has acquired an additional 60 acres exclusively for emergency response and rescue training. The Texas Legislature recently approved $2 million in state funding to support the facility.
"We can see from the disaster in Oklahoma City that terrorism is a legitimate domestic concern," said Brady. "TEEX stands on its merits as the leading facility to handle the training of local, state, and federal officials in a wide variety of emergency response."
