Gregory Rohde, E911 Institute exec. dir., said there has been som...

Gregory Rohde, E911 Institute exec. dir., said there has been some talk among senators and staff to tie the stalled E911 bill (S-1250) to the stalled spectrum relocation trust fund bill (HR-1320). Rohde said after a press briefing that funds left over from govt. spectrum relocation could be used to fund E911 deployment. “The trust fund bill may need something like 911 to get it to the floor,” Rohde said. After the House passed its E911 bill (HR-2898) last year, the Senate version has been stalled for several months after it passed the Commerce Committee earlier this year. One issue of concern is the price difference, as the Senate devotes $500 million a year to the issue, while the House bill’s price tag is just $100 million a year. With a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report predicting $8 billion would be needed for E911 rollout, Rohde said Senate sponsors may not see $100 million as adequate. However, Rohde said it appeared timing, as opposed to funding, was the issue causing the delay. A busy Senate schedule is causing some of the hold-up, he said. While the funding is higher in the Senate bill, Rohde said it was only an authorization figure and appropriators can give less if they're uncomfortable with the higher figures. Also Fri, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the E911 Institute would be a partner in DHS’s Citizen Corps. The partnership will result in a series of events across the U.S. Rohde said the events -- where House and Senate members would meet with local leaders on 911 and other public safety issue -- would hopefully help spur interest in E911 at the local level. Rohde also said the meetings would help members “understand the situation in their own districts.” “By using the status and power of members of Congress, we hope to draw more attention to the issue,” he said. Suzanne Mencer, DHS dir.-office of state & local preparedness, said 911 and other public safety issues had largely been local issues in Sept. 11, when they became national issue. Many members of Congress are still getting up to speed on local public safety issues, she said. “There’s great value in connecting local leaders with members of Congress,” she said.