The proposed fiscal year 2007 budget: enhancing preparedness for first responders: hearing before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, ... of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congre

The proposed fiscal year 2007 budget: enhancing preparedness for first responders: hearing before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, ... of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congre Review

LC Number: KF27 .H573 2006c OCLC Number: (OCoLC)181184218 Subject: Emergency management -- United States -- Finance. Excerpt: ...curity. Indeed, no other administration in the history of our great country has requested more funds for first responders. Since September 11, 2001 the administration and Congress have made an enormous investment, over 28 billion in State, regional and local preparedness programs. Much of this funding, however, remains unspent. If the President's budget request is combined with yet to be awarded funds for 2006 and amounts from prior years that State and local governments have not yet obligated, the result is that more than 5 billion in funding will be available for State and local preparedness activities in fiscal year 2007. Until the problems causing these backlogs are resolved, the reductions in certain homeland security grants programs demonstrate the President's fiscal discipline. So rather than merely continuing to increase Federal funding, the administration's proposed budget attempts to resolve this problem by reforming the grant making system, consistent with the reform contained in H.R. 1544, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act. The administration intends to allocate the vast majority of Federal preparedness grants on the basis of risk and need and to assure that States and local governments use such funding to achieve minimum baseline levels of preparedness in accordance with the national preparedness guidance. It is also important to note that the administration's budget request substantially increases funding for certain grant programs. For example, the President's budget includes an over million increase for the Urban Area Security Initiative, a 4 million increase in grant programs dedicated to critical infrastructure protection, and million of increase for the State homeland security grant program. The budget request for the Preparedness Directorat...