U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

Bush Signs Homeland Security Funding Bill;
Vermont’s First Responders To Receive At Least $11.25 M. 
Under Leahy’s ‘All-State Minimum’ Formula

(MONDAY, October 18) – President Bush Monday signed into law the annual funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), which will make available at least $11.25 million to Vermont’s first responder agencies within the next few months under a formula written by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that ensures domestic security funding for smaller states like Vermont.  The President earlier this year had proposed ending the Leahy funding formula for the first-responder grant program that ensures basic help to smaller states like Vermont.  With passage of this bill, Congress rejected the President’s proposal to end the Leahy all-state minimum. 

Under Leahy’s charter for the program, which he included in the USA PATRIOT Act (the anti-terrorism law enacted in October 2001), the all-state minimum provision ensures that Vermont and other smaller states receive basic support for the greater security responsibilities placed on them since the September 11 attacks.  Leahy’s provision assures that first responder agencies in smaller states receive .75 percent of the national allotment.   

Under the funding bill enacted Monday, Vermont will receive $8.25 million of a total $1.1 billion in Homeland Security State Homeland Security Grant Program grants for fiscal year 2005.  These grants are issued to state and local first responders nationwide to use for training, technical assistance and equipment to enhance their abilities to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the consequences of domestic terrorism.  Under the Leahy formula, Vermont has received more than $51 million in grants since the all-state minimum was applied to the program in 2002. 

The funding bill also allocates $400 million for formula-based grants for law enforcement agencies for required overtime compensation due homeland security-related activities, and for providing expanded investigative and intelligence efforts.  Vermont’s law enforcement agencies will receive at least $3 million under this program.   Another $885 million will go to high-threat urban areas such as New York City and Los Angeles for critical infrastructure needs. 

Leahy is the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees federal anti-crime agencies and programs, and he also is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles the Senate’s work in funding them.  Leahy also is a member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, which directly oversees the DHS budget.    

“Our demands on first responders have been heavy and unrelenting, and these funds will help ensure that they receive partnership help in meeting the increased challenges placed on them since September 11,” Leahy said.  “They are doing their duty, and we need to do ours, by helping them as they help our communities.” 

The grant program, administered by the Office for Domestic Preparedness of DHS, distributes funds to states, which in turn allocate the monies to local law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical service units.  Each state is required to transfer no less than 80 percent of the total amount of the funds they receive to local governments within 45 days of the grant award.   

# # # # #