Speaking on behalf of the National Governors Association (NGA) about the need to reform homeland security grant programs, James Davis, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, told the House Committee on Homeland Security subcommittee on emergency preparedness, response and communications that “federal funding for homeland security grant programs has been reduced by more than 50 percent over the last two fiscal years,” and that “the impact of this reduction, combined with ongoing state and local fiscal challenges, warrants reconsideration of the current grant structure to ensure funds can continue to be used as effectively as possible.”

Davis told the panel, “The decrease in funding has placed an administrative burden on grantees and has made it more difficult to achieve statewide and regional strategic goals. For instance, in some states, the fusion center has been supported in large part through the state’s 20 percent share of State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) funds. As those funds decrease, it is no longer possible to continue to operate the fusion center while also providing for management and administration of the entire SHSGP award or addressing other identified capability gaps.”

Read more @ hstoday.us

Nevada’s Homeland Security Commission today adopted a drastically reduced plan to continue the fight against potential terrorist attacks, leaving six ongoing programs without funding because of declining federal support.

Led by Commission Chairman and Gov. Brian Sandoval, the panel of law enforcement and other emergency services providers unanimously adopted a plan that will see $4.3 million in total federal funding this year, a 60 percent reduction in funding from 2011 when Nevada received $10.8 million.

Read more @ carsonnow.org

Over the past few years, DHS has been cutting funding for grants to state and emergency response agencies. The budget for fiscal year 2012 intended for state and local grants has been reduced to $2,374,681,000. This is a cut of $846,177,830 from the FY 2011 budget of $3,220,858,830. Similar levels of reductions have been imposed by state governments.

These cuts impose difficulties for states and municipalities that have come to rely on these grants for equipment acquisition, upgrade, and maintenance.

The Tennesseean reports on the impact in one such state, Tennessee.

DHS had granted $192 million to Tennessee for fighting terrorism, and the money was used for the acquisition of r remote-controlled bomb-handling robots; special equipment for collapsed building rescues; high-tech surveillance cameras; all sorts of boots, masks, and body armor; and food for police dogs. There was even a training seminar about how to apply for more money.

Read more @ homelandsecuritynewswire.com

FEMA is seeking the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for two information-gathering initiatives related to two different security grants programs.

The first involves FEMA preparedness grants for emergency operations centers. The second involves a Web-based survey of disaster preparedness by state, local and tribal governments.

“The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Grant Program is intended to improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities by supporting flexible, sustainable, secure, and interoperable EOCs with a focus on addressing identified deficiencies and needs,” says a FEMA notice published in the Federal Register on April 10. “Fully capable emergency operations facilities at the State, Territory, Local and/or Tribal levels are an essential element of a comprehensive national emergency management system and are necessary to ensure continuity of operations and continuity of government in major disasters caused by any hazard.”

Read more @ www.gsnmagazine.com