By Laura DeKoven Waxman
August 10, 2009

The Senate completed action on its version of the FY 2010 homeland security appropriations bill July 9 on an 84-6 vote. The bill would provide $42.9 billion in discretionary spending – seven percent more than is available this year, but about $150 million less than requested. The House version, which passed June 17 on a 389-37 vote, would provide about $42.6 billion. The conference to resolve the differences between the two bills is expected in September.

Funding levels for key programs are pretty much the same in the House and Senate versions of the bill, although the Senate bill provides higher funding in a few areas. The biggest difference is in the area of transportation security grants: Rail and transit security would receive $356 million in the Senate bill, $106 more than in the House version; port security would receive $250 million, $100 million more than in the House version. Both of these amounts, however, are less than the $400 million currently available for these programs. The table at right shows funding for key programs and functions in thousands of dollars.