The U.S. Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to improve the nation’s disaster preparedness. It was sponsored by Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
The bill is aimed at strengthening FEMA’s capacity to help state and local governments enhance emergency preparedness.
It will provide expanded FEMA assistance, training and programming relating to resilience to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards and related emerging threats.
The legislation also expands FEMA’s assistance for communities near nuclear power plants and military chemical stockpiles.
Arizona houses several chemical facilities across the state.
Before heading to a full Senate vote, Sinema’s bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.