Title 6 — Domestic SecurityRelease 119-73

§604 Urban Area Security Initiative

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XV— - HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS › Part Part A— - Grants to States and High-Risk Urban Areas › § 604

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a program that gives grants to high-risk urban areas to help prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to terrorist attacks. Each year the Administrator must assess the threat, weakness, and likely harm for each eligible metro area using set factors and any information the area provides. Before that check, each area can send materials and review the Department’s risk assessment to fix mistakes. After the assessments, the Administrator picks which high-risk urban areas may apply for grants. The Administrator decides which local jurisdictions are in each high-risk urban area, may name more than one area inside a large metro area, and can add areas that were not previously eligible. Designated areas may add jurisdictions with State agreement. Areas selected must apply each year and include a plan for dividing money and duties, the name of a liaison, and any other required information. Applicants must send their application to every State that covers the area for review before sending it to the Department, and each State must forward the application to the Department within 30 days. If a Governor disagrees, the Governor must send a written reason when transmitting the application. Applicants get a chance to correct mistakes before awards are final. If an application is approved, the Administrator sends the grant money to the State or States where the urban area is located. Within 45 days of getting the money, each State must give the urban area at least 80% of the grant. Any money the State keeps must be used on things that help the urban area, and the State must report how those retained funds were spent. If the urban area lies in more than one State, funds go to each State as the application says or as the Administrator decides. The State must certify it provided the required funds. Congress authorized $850,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; $950,000,000 for 2009; $1,050,000,000 for 2010; $1,150,000,000 for 2011; $1,300,000,000 for 2012; and such sums as are necessary for fiscal year 2013 and each year after.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §604

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is established an Urban Area Security Initiative to provide grants to assist high-risk urban areas in preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to acts of terrorism.

(b)(1)The Administrator shall designate high-risk urban areas to receive grants under this section based on procedures under this subsection.

(2)(A)For each fiscal year, the Administrator shall conduct an initial assessment of the relative threat, vulnerability, and consequences from acts of terrorism faced by each eligible metropolitan area, including consideration of—

(i)the factors set forth in subparagraphs (A) through (H) and (K) of section 608(a)(1) of this title; and

(ii)information and materials submitted under subparagraph (B).

(B)Prior to conducting each initial assessment under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall provide each eligible metropolitan area with, and shall notify each eligible metropolitan area of, the opportunity to—

(i)submit information that the eligible metropolitan area believes to be relevant to the determination of the threat, vulnerability, and consequences it faces from acts of terrorism; and

(ii)review the risk assessment conducted by the Department of that eligible metropolitan area, including the bases for the assessment by the Department of the threat, vulnerability, and consequences from acts of terrorism faced by that eligible metropolitan area, and remedy erroneous or incomplete information.

(3)(A)(i)For each fiscal year, after conducting the initial assessment under paragraph (2), and based on that assessment, the Administrator shall designate high-risk urban areas that may submit applications for grants under this section.

(ii)Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the Administrator may—

(I)in any case where an eligible metropolitan area consists of more than 1 metropolitan division (as that term is defined by the Office of Management and Budget) designate more than 1 high-risk urban area within a single eligible metropolitan area; and

(II)designate an area that is not an eligible metropolitan area as a high-risk urban area based on the assessment by the Administrator of the relative threat, vulnerability, and consequences from acts of terrorism faced by the area.

(iii)Nothing in this subsection may be construed to require the Administrator to—

(I)designate all eligible metropolitan areas that submit information to the Administrator under paragraph (2)(B)(i) as high-risk urban areas; or

(II)designate all areas within an eligible metropolitan area as part of the high-risk urban area.

(B)(i)In designating high-risk urban areas under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall determine which jurisdictions, at a minimum, shall be included in each high-risk urban area.

(ii)A high-risk urban area designated by the Administrator may, in consultation with the State or States in which such high-risk urban area is located, add additional jurisdictions to the high-risk urban area.

(c)(1)An area designated as a high-risk urban area under subsection (b) may apply for a grant under this section.

(2)In an application for a grant under this section, a high-risk urban area shall submit—

(A)a plan describing the proposed division of responsibilities and distribution of funding among the local and tribal governments in the high-risk urban area;

(B)the name of an individual to serve as a high-risk urban area liaison with the Department and among the various jurisdictions in the high-risk urban area; and

(C)such information in support of the application as the Administrator may reasonably require.

(3)Applicants for grants under this section shall apply or reapply on an annual basis.

(4)(A)To ensure consistency with State homeland security plans, a high-risk urban area applying for a grant under this section shall submit its application to each State within which any part of that high-risk urban area is located for review before submission of such application to the Department.

(B)Not later than 30 days after receiving an application from a high-risk urban area under subparagraph (A), a State shall transmit the application to the Department.

(C)If the Governor of a State determines that an application of a high-risk urban area is inconsistent with the State homeland security plan of that State, or otherwise does not support the application, the Governor shall—

(i)notify the Administrator, in writing, of that fact; and

(ii)provide an explanation of the reason for not supporting the application at the time of transmission of the application.

(5)In considering applications for grants under this section, the Administrator shall provide applicants with a reasonable opportunity to correct defects in the application, if any, before making final awards.

(d)(1)If the Administrator approves the application of a high-risk urban area for a grant under this section, the Administrator shall distribute the grant funds to the State or States in which that high-risk urban area is located.

(2)(A)Not later than 45 days after the date that a State receives grant funds under paragraph (1), that State shall provide the high-risk urban area awarded that grant not less than 80 percent of the grant funds. Any funds retained by a State shall be expended on items, services, or activities that benefit the high-risk urban area.

(B)A State shall provide each relevant high-risk urban area with an accounting of the items, services, or activities on which any funds retained by the State under subparagraph (A) were expended.

(3)If parts of a high-risk urban area awarded a grant under this section are located in 2 or more States, the Administrator shall distribute to each such State—

(A)a portion of the grant funds in accordance with the proposed distribution set forth in the application; or

(B)if no agreement on distribution has been reached, a portion of the grant funds determined by the Administrator to be appropriate.

(4)A State that receives grant funds under paragraph (1) shall certify to the Administrator that the State has made available to the applicable high-risk urban area the required funds under paragraph (2).

(e)There are authorized to be appropriated for grants under this section—

(1)$850,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;

(2)$950,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;

(3)$1,050,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;

(4)$1,150,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;

(5)$1,300,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and

(6)such sums as are necessary for fiscal year 2013, and each fiscal year thereafter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 604

Title 6 — Domestic Security

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73