EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT
WHEREAS,
the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2005 Budget request to Congress proposes a 25
percent cap on the use of funds through the Emergency Management Performance
Grant (EMPG) program to support personnel; and for funding to be reduced by $9
million from Fiscal Year 2004; and
WHEREAS,
the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG) is the single all
hazards emergency preparedness grant program in support of capacity building at
the state and local level; and
WHEREAS,
the EMPG program was created by Congress to be a 50/50 federal and state match
program; and
WHEREAS,
the Budget proposal would devastate state and local emergency management
programs, and consequently the nation’s emergency response system. The National Emergency Management
Association conducted an EMPG survey in late 2003 that revealed that
approximately 1,522 or 42.9% of state level positions are supported in part by
EMPG funds, and that 2,174 full-time and 1,146 part-time positions at the local
level are supported by the EMPG program; and
WHEREAS,
without adequate numbers of state and local personnel to operate the emergency
management system, the infrastructure used to prevent, prepare for, respond to
and recover from all disasters and emergencies could collapse,
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors urges
Congress to reject the Administration’s proposed 25 percent cap on the use of
EMPG funds for personnel; and
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the EMPG program should be fully funded in FY
2005.
©2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors 