The 2010 - 2011 New York State Budget included several agency and office consolidations in an attempt to provide taxpayers with essential services at a reduced cost. The purpose of this hearing is to review and assess the implementation and outcome of one of these consolidation efforts, the consolidation that created the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

The Office of Homeland Security, the State Emergency Management Office, the State 911 Board, the Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination, and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control were merged to create the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (HSES). As part of this merger, the Office of Homeland Security became the Office of Counterterrorism and a new Office of Interoperability and Emergency Communications was created within the Division. In addition, an intrastate mutual aid program was established to provide a framework for municipal efforts to share resources and personnel in the case of a natural or man-made disaster, and several fire safety boards were consolidated into the Advisory Council for Fire Prevention and Control. As well, a new non-profit Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center was created to focus on cyber threat prevention, protection, and response.

This hearing will review the implementation and outcome of the consolidation. Specifically, we are interested in learning if estimated cost savings have been achieved and what effect the mergers have had on services to localities and taxpayers.

Persons invited to present testimony at the above hearing should direct their testimony to those selected issues set forth in this notice and complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be accepted by invitation only. Twenty (20) copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

---

Persons invited to present testimony at the public hearing are requested to complete this reply form by October 3, 2011 and mail it to: