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Missouri Gov. Announces Findings of State Homeland Security Grant Report

Report details Missouri's use of federal homeland security funds designed to protect the state against terrorist threats

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt recently issued a report detailing Missouri's use of federal homeland security funds designed to protect the state against terrorist threats.

The report, prepared by the Missouri Department of Public Safety at Blunt's request, shows that state agencies and local governments are having trouble in the reimbursement phase of the federal grant process. As of March 31, 2005, $49 million out of the $135 million awarded from the federal Homeland Security Grant Program had been given to local jurisdictions.

Blunt sought the review after learning about a congressional report that detailed questionable spending on chemical biological warfare suits for nearly every full-time law enforcement officer in the state and spending on a web portal that provided duplicative capabilities created by a company the state's former homeland security director went to work for when he left the state last year.

"The goal is to better manage federal homeland security dollars," Blunt said. "The responsibility rests on our state and local governments to adequately justify, properly record, and efficiently spend these needed funds that we are awarded."

Missouri's Homeland Security Director Michael Chapman said one of the biggest delays in the process involves the delivery of equipment from a vendor to local jurisdiction. Chapman said it can take as long as 270 days for a vendor to deliver one piece of equipment under certain contracts.

Missouri has only spent 40 percent of its 2003 and 2004 federal homeland security grant funding. Blunt and the department of Public Safety are continuing to review the findings of the report and will soon announce ways to increase the level of safety for Missourians and to spend homeland security funds more efficiently and responsibly.

Federal Homeland Security Grant Expenditures

As of March 31, 2005, Missouri has received a total of $135 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or its predecessor for homeland security grants, the Justice Department's Office of Domestic Preparedness. The DHS Grant Program is a reimbursement program -- it is not direct funding. Of the $135 million Missouri received, state and local grantees have been reimbursed $49 million. Grants are awarded annually.

DHS requires that each state designate a single agency to work with local jurisdictions to administer grants. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is Missouri's administering agency. SEMA is typically allowed 45-60 days to collaborate with localities in developing a spending plan for the grant. Under the current DHS formula, 20 percent of grant funds are apportioned for state government use, while 80 percent is reserved for local governments. The grants comprise 1) a base amount of funding, which is the same for all states and territories, 2) an additional portion based on population density, and 3) a portion based on the results of a DHS analysis of the threats to and vulnerability of state locales.

Of Missouri's 16 executive departments, six have made use of the DHS Homeland Security Grant Program: Public Safety, Agriculture, Conservation, Natural Resources, Transportation, and the Office of Administration (information technologies & facilities). These six departments account for $11 million of the DHS grants Missouri has received since FY2002, as detailed below:

Public Safety: $6,091,764
Agriculture: $150,000
Conservation: $144,000
Natural Resources: $1,094,900
Transportation: $1,470,000
Office of Administration: $2,040,240

The Department of Public Safety used $3,412,013 of the funding to procure equipment for the Highway Patrol including interoperable communications equipment, personal protective equipment, a weapons of mass destruction containment vessel for the Bomb Team, lab equipment, and physical security enhancements. $1,041,890 was allocated to SEMA for software for using wireless laptop computers in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), upgrading EOC communications consoles, and for five communications vehicles. The Missouri National Guard used $383,925 to procure interoperable communications equipment, and for a physical security system. The Fire Safety Division used $288,560 on personal protective equipment, two certified explosive K-9 teams, equipment for field investigators, a training unit trailer, two 18-foot trailers, a generator, a compressed air refill station, and evidence collection. The Capitol Police used $186,880 on interoperable communications equipment, upgrades to the explosives unit, a portable x-ray machine, surveillance cameras, and emergency medical equipment.

The Department of Agriculture used grant funding to procure interoperable communications equipment, agro-terrorism prevention, response, and mitigation equipment, training, and exercises.

The Conservation Department focused their funding on interoperable communications equipment.

The Department of Natural Resources used the grants to fund interoperable communications equipment, personal protective equipment, detection equipment, and decontamination units.

The Department of Transportation used funding on interoperable communications equipment, command and control emergency response vehicles, and 10 incident response trailers.

The Office of Administration used funding on an emergency response team for the State Capitol complex, physical security equipment, a security gate at the Governor's Mansion, cyber security, and vulnerability assessment of the Capitol complex, upgrades to the Capitol complex communications and digital disaster recovery software.

None of the state's executive departments reported that they have partnered with any private companies or local jurisdictions to petition for federal homeland security grant funding.

Local jurisdictions consume the preponderance of the state's federal homeland security grant funding. The length of time between a grant award to a local jurisdiction and reimbursement by DHS is influenced by several factors including: 1) jurisdictions must first expend their own funds before they apply for reimbursement; 2) the speed with which bureaucracies approve, administer, and award procurement contracts; and 3) vendor delivery schedules, which can be as long as 270 days from contract award.

Working with local jurisdictions to ensure the state's homeland security grants are awarded and reimbursed in a timely fashion and targeted where they will be most effective toward enhancing the safety and security of Missourians is a top priority for the Blunt Administration.