Subject: [NEXTEL-1] DHS says first-responder grants are not being used

From: "marcel_rf1" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 09:52:02 -0000

DHS says first-responder grants are not being used
By HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER 
April 09 12:11:00, 2004

WASHINGTON—Just as the Federal Communications Commission is grappling with =
how to solve public-safety interference
in the 800 MHz band, the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector Genera=
l Thursday said federal grant money to
first responders is not being used. 

"As of February 2004, the majority of the $2.4 billion in fiscal-year 2002 =
and FY 2003 first-responder grant funds
awarded to the 56 states and territories remained unspent and in the U.S. T=
reasury. However, draw-down statistics do
not tell the whole story when trying to gauge the progress being made by st=
ates, local jurisdictions and first responders,
because they only measure funds disbursed to the states. Although only a sm=
all percentage of the funds had been
drawn down, much of the remainder had been committed or obligated by the st=
ates to local jurisdictions for specific
purposes," reads the report issued by Clark Kent Ervin. 

There are a variety of reasons why states and localities are slow to use th=
e money made available in the wake of Sept.
11, 2001, said the IG, but most of them seem to boil down to bureaucracy at=
 all levels of government. 

"Many of the reasons given for delays point to administrative processes tha=
t need to be streamlined," according to the
report. 

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs C=
ommittee, said the IG report justified the
need for a more coordinated first-responder grant process. 

"This report indicates that there is a clear need for legislation to ensure=
 that homeland-security funding reaches our first
responders, who are on the front lines in the war against terrorism. We nee=
d to untangle the web of homeland-security
grants to make sure our first responders are receiving assistance they need=
 to protect our communities," said Collins. 

Collins is the sponsor of the Homeland-Security Grant Enhancement Act, whic=
h has passed her committee and is
awaiting action by the full Senate. 

A similar bill in the House, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Respo=
nders Act of 2003, was reported to the House
by its Select Committee on Homeland Security. 

The first responder grant bill would prioritize funding for states and regi=
ons based on a threat assessment. Grants
would be awarded first on the ability to save lives, then on protecting the=
 food and water supply, and finally on
protecting economic sectors. 

The bill also must be approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructu=
re, Judiciary, and Commerce committees
before being considered by the full House. 

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=17644

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