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WHEREAS, in its FY 2013 budget
submission the Administration proposed a major reform and consolidation of
homeland security grant programs which would replace the current programs with
a new National Preparedness Grant Program; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference
of Mayors has a strong body of policy which supports the current homeland
security grant programs; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of
Mayors and other organizations which represent local governments, first
responders, and emergency managers have registered serious concerns with the
proposal to convert the current suite of homeland security grant programs into
state-administered block and competitive grant programs in which funding
decisions are based on state and multi-state threat assessments; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland
Security is currently implementing the changes Congress made in the FY 2012
appropriations bill – changes which give the Department greater flexibility to
focus grant programs on what it considers to be the highest priorities, while
protecting program funding to the highest risk urban areas and transportation
infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the Secretary of Homeland
Security has reached out to mayors through the U.S. Conference of Mayors and
invited the organization to work with the Department to craft improvements to
the nation’s homeland security programs which respond to the preparedness and
response needs of cities; and
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the Department of
Homeland Security first to give the program changes currently being implemented
at least a year to play out and evaluate them before moving ahead with the
significant changes proposed in the National Preparedness Grant Program; and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED that the
Department take advantage of the time this approach provides to work with the
Conference of Mayors and other national organizations as well as Congress to
develop program reforms which incorporate the successful elements of past and
current programs and identify new approaches which can have broad support; and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED that any
reform proposals protect certain key programs, including the Urban Area
Security Initiative and port and transportation security grants, which provide
targeted funding to local areas and critical infrastructure considered to be at
the highest risk; and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED that as
it works with Congress and stakeholders, the Department use the following set
of core principles developed by the Conference and other national organizations
which represent local governments, first responders, and emergency managers to
guide program reform:
- Increased Transparency – It must be clear and understandable to the federal government
and the public how the states are distributing funds, why they are making these
decisions, and where the funds are going.
- Greater Local Involvement – Local government officials, including emergency managers and
emergency response officials, know best the threats and vulnerabilities in
their areas. The Threat Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA) process
must include the input of local elected and emergency response officials, and
the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) must be able to audit
states by comparing local risk assessments to the state level THIRA. Further, local governments should have the
opportunity to challenge a state THIRA that inadequately reflects their needs
or input.
- Flexibility with Accountability – Any changes to the existing federal grant programs should allow
federal funding to meet individual local needs, and preparedness gaps as
identified at the local level. Effective but sometimes less politically popular
programs, like mitigation, must still receive funding.
- Protect Local Funding – Since event impact and response are primarily local in nature,
grant funding should support primarily local prevention and preparedness
efforts, as is the case under the current program structure. It is important
that the vast majority of federal homeland security grants continue to fund
local prevention and response activities, including local emergency managers
and first responders, and activities that support their preparedness efforts.
- Sustain Terrorism Prevention - The current emphasis on supporting law enforcement’s terrorism
prevention activities must be maintained. The federal grant funds should not be
used to support larger state bureaucracies at the expense of operational
counter terrorism preparedness, threat analysis, and information sharing
activities.
- Incentives for Innate Regionalization – FEMA’s
proposal focuses on states and multi-state regions (similar to the FEMA
regions). The homeland security grants must also support preparedness in
metropolitan intra-state and inter-state regions.
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