§605 State Homeland Security Grant Program

Summary

Creates a State Homeland Security Grant Program to help state, local, and tribal governments prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to terrorism. Each State can apply every year. The Administrator can ask for needed information. Applications must say what the money will be used for and why the State needs it to reach preparedness goals, explain how the State will share funds with local governments and tribes, and include a budget. Within 45 days after the State gets the money, the State must give local and tribal governments at least 80 percent of the grant (or, if the local or tribal governments agree, provide items or services worth at least 80 percent or a mix of money and items that totals 80 percent). The State must certify that it did this. The Governor can ask the Administrator in writing for more time, and the Administrator may allow a delay if it helps make better investments. The 45-day rule does not apply to the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, or the Virgin Islands. If a State does not pass money along on time, a local or tribal government can ask the Administrator to get the funds directly. Two or more States may apply together for a multistate grant. Joint applications must explain who will run the grant and how the money will be split. The Administrator must make sure each State gets at least certain minimum shares of the total program in specific years: 0.375% in fiscal year 2008; 0.365% in 2009; 0.36% in 2010; 0.355% in 2011; and 0.35% in 2012 and later. American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands each must get at least 0.08% each year. Portions of multistate awards that go to a State count toward that State’s minimum. Congress authorized $950,000,000 for each fiscal year 2008 through 2012, and “such sums as are necessary” for fiscal year 2013 and after.