Homeland Security and Defense Business Council Releases Brief on SAFETY Act

"As the only private sector organization focused solely on homeland security, this paper is a critical part of our vision to provide a seamless continuum of preparedness and a foundation of resiliency that utilizes the resources and expertise of the private sector to coordinate more effectively with the public sector," said Marc Pearl, the council’s president and CEO.

The executive brief is part of a comprehensive effort by the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council to provide corporate America with a 360-degree perspective on preparedness. The Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act) was the starting point because of its implications for both the providers of anti-terror technologies and their customers.

"Corporations that do not utilize the protections offered by the Act may suffer incalculable losses in the event of another attack – losses that neither they, nor the homeland security industry in general – can afford," Pearl continued.

The Honorable Jay Cohen, undersecretary for technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; The Honorable Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Brian Finch, lead counsel for Dickstein Shapiro's Homeland Security Practice; Travis Glenn, Willis Terrorism Practice Group; and John Mitnick, Raytheon Technical Services Corp., all joined the council to release the paper and discuss the SAFETY Act.

The white paper includes a history and overview of the SAFETY Act; a list of its protections; eligibility information; complementary laws and programs; creative applications; and more. The paper can be accessed at http://homelandcouncil.org/docs/safety_act.pdf.