§281 Procurement of equipment by State and local governments through the Department of Defense: equipment for counter-drug, homeland security, and emergency response activities

Summary

The Secretary of Defense must make rules so states and local governments can buy certain counter‑drug, homeland security, and emergency response equipment through the Department of Defense. A state that wants gear must send a request and pay up front an amount the Secretary sets to cover the items and the Department’s administrative costs. Requests can only ask for items listed in a catalog the General Services Administration and the DoD keep. The state must list what local governments want, may have the governor run the process, and must arrange and pay to ship the equipment. The DoD will work with the GSA and other agencies to avoid duplicating efforts and will require repayment for its administrative costs. Key terms: State — includes DC, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions. Unit of local government — means cities, counties, towns, tribes that do law enforcement or emergency work (as the Interior Secretary decides), and certain DC or federal agencies working in DC or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Equipment — defined by DoD rules; it can only include items the DoD itself buys, and homeland security items must be on DHS’s approved equipment list.