[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5595 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5595
To authorize the Urban Areas Security Initiative Grants Program of the
Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 13, 2006
Mr. Fossella (for himself, Mr. Crowley, and Mr. Reynolds) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland
Security
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Urban Areas Security Initiative Grants Program of the
Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Urban Area Security Initiative Grant
Enhancement and Authorization Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The High Threat Urban Areas program created under
Public Law 108-7--
(A) was devised as an additional response to the
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program
created under title XIV of the National Defense
Authorization Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-201), in
recognizing that certain large urban areas remain high
threat targets and are inadequately prepared to respond
to a weapon of mass destruction event;
(B) addresses the unique equipment, training,
planning and exercise needs of selected large high
threat urban areas; and
(C) has become known as the Urban Area Security
Initiative.
(2) The allocation of the funds available for fiscal year
2006 for the Urban Areas Security Initiative grants program of
the Department of Homeland Security does not reflect the
original intent of the program.
(3) The needs-based variable used in the funding formula
for such allocation is not a proper risk-based variable.
(4) The allocation of funds for such program should be
based solely on the risk of terrorist attack, and determined
based solely on consideration of threat of, vulnerabilities to,
and consequence of such an attack.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF URBAN AREAS SECURITY INITIATIVE GRANTS
PROGRAM.
(a) Authorization.--The Secretary of Homeland Security may carry
out an Urban Areas Security Initiative Grants Program (in this section
referred to as the ``Program''), under which the Secretary may make
grants for the same purposes for which grants were made under such a
program with amounts made available to the Department of Homeland
Security for fiscal year 2005.
(b) Use of Grant.--
(1) Authorized uses.--A grant under this section may be
used--
(A) to purchase equipment, to provide training, to
conduct exercises, and to provide technical assistance
to State and local first responders;
(B) to construct, develop, expand, modify, operate,
or improve facilities to provide training or assistance
to State and local first responders, including
construction relating to target hardening,
communications facilities, emergency command centers,
or medical response facilities; and
(C) if 100 or more personnel in the relevant
jurisdiction are dedicated exclusively to
counterterrorism and intelligence activities (including
detection of, collection and analysis of intelligence
relating to, investigation of, prevention of, and
interdiction of suspected terrorist activities), to
provide reimbursement, consistent with a State plan as
approved by the Secretary, for expenses related to--
(i) such personnel, including overtime pay;
and
(ii) units dedicated to such activities.
(2) Limitation.--
(A) In general.--A grant under this section may not
be used to supplant State or local funds that have been
obligated for homeland security or first responder-
related projects.
(B) Maintenance of expenditures not required.--The
Secretary may not require an applicant for a grant
under this section to maintain a level of expenditure
from year to year as a condition of a grant under this
section
(c) Procedures, Terms, and Conditions.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in this Act, the
Secretary shall make grants under the Program in accordance
with the procedures, terms, and condition under which grants
were made under such a program with amounts made available to
the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2005.
(2) Grant basis.--The Secretary shall make grants under the
Program based solely on a quantitative assessment of the risk
of a terrorist attack on high-threat, high-density urban areas
that considers--
(A) threat of a terrorist attack to particular
assets;
(B) vulnerability of particular assets to a
terrorist attack; and
(C) consequences of a terrorist attack.
(d) Notification of Grant Applicants.--If the Secretary finds any
problem in an application for a grant under the Program to be funded
with amounts available for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall notify
the applicant and provide the applicant an opportunity to correct such
problem before making any grant with such amounts.
(e) Authority of President.--Any allocation by the Secretary of
funds for grants under the Program, and any approval by the Secretary
of a grant under the Program, is subject to modification by the
President.
(f) Relationship to Other Law.--Section 1014 of the USA PATRIOT Act
(42 U.S.C. 3714) does not apply with respect to a grant under this
section.
<all>