By Laura DeKoven Waxman
April 16, 2012

Conference of Mayors Vice President Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter told members of the House Homeland Security Committee March 20 that, “Mayors and other local officials across the nation have serious concerns” with FEMA’s proposal to consolidate homeland security grant programs. “While they may not be perfect, we strongly support the existing menu of homeland security programs,” Nutter commented. “They are the product of years of work by Congress, the Administration, state and local governments, and first responders. Frankly we cannot understand why FEMA proposes to throw away these programs in such a wholesale manner.”

The hearing was called by the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, which is chaired by Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, to examine FEMA’s administration of current homeland security grant programs along with its proposal to create a new consolidated $1.54 billion National Preparedness Grant Program that would replace the current suite of programs.

Although the details of that proposal are still being fleshed out, it appears that the new program would be a mix of formula grants to the states intended to sustain current activities including some Urban Area Security Initiative grants, and competitive grants to states and regions for specific policy areas, including critical infrastructure, counterterrorism, and transportation. The proposal, which would require legislation, would eliminate current separate programs including state homeland security grants, Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), transportation and infrastructure protection (rail, port, bus), urban search and rescue, medical surge grants (MMRS), citizen corps, Operation StoneGarden, and the pre-disaster mitigation fund.

It is not clear that the current requirement in the formula grants program that states pass through a portion of the funds to local governments, as is currently the case under the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP), would remain. It also is not clear that the requirement that a portion of the funds be dedicated to law enforcement terrorism prevention activities, as is currently the case under both SHSGP and UASI, would continue.

Nutter introduced into the record a joint letter to the Committee from 12 groups representing local elected officials, emergency managers, major city police chiefs, sheriffs, and the major fire service organizations. That letter, which expresses concern with the FEMA consolidation proposal, is reprinted on page 11.

Members of the Committee expressed concern with the proposal as well:

“I don’t believe, more than a month after the President’s budget was released, we have received sufficiently detailed information about the proposed National Preparedness Grant Program,” commented Bilirakis. In particular he asked if high-risk urban areas, port authorities, and transit agencies would be able to apply directly for funding.

“Before this government undertakes such a radical change in funding for these vital programs, Congress must ask some questions,” said full Committee Ranking Member, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. “Members must ask about the wisdom of forcing port and transit officials to compete for the same grant money. Members must examine the effect of asking public health providers and local law enforcement to vie for a shrinking pot of grant money. State and local officials, first responders and first preventers must have an opportunity to tell how they will be affected by these cuts,” he continued.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Laura Richardson of California commented that, “The FY 2013 grants consolidation proposal gives states full discretion to administer grants based on a competitive and individual project based approach. I am concerned that these drastic changes will negatively impact the preparedness capabilities of our state, territory, tribal and local partners.”

Conference Call with Secretary Napolitano

Nutter, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Chair of the Conference’s Criminal and Social Justice Committee, Conference of Mayors Second Vice President Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran participated in a conference call on March 19 with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss the mayors’ concerns with the proposed consolidation. Commenting on the call, Nutter said of the Secretary: “She listened to our concerns and, I believe, she understood them.”

In a letter to Napolitano, Parker and Cochran said that they “look forward to working with your Department, and FEMA in particular, in this effort” and “are prepared to react to the Department’s proposals, offer some of our own, and identify examples of innovative approaches which are working.” “Our goal is the same as yours, to make sure that the nation’s homeland security programs include and respond to the needs of the entire nation, including its cities and metropolitan areas.”