**[H.R. 3266---THE FASTER AND SMARTER FUNDING FOR]{.underline}**

**[FIRST RESPONDERS ACT OF 2003]{.underline}**

**Preserving First Responder Grant Programs in Existence Prior to
September 11, 2001**

-   The legislation specifies seven first responder related federal
    grant programs dedicated to the traditional missions of state and
    local firefighting, law enforcement, and emergency medical services
    that are not impacted by this legislation.

-   Those are: Fire Grants; Emergency Management Planning and Assistance
    Account; Local Law Enforcement Block Grants; Byrne Memorial Formula
    Grants; Community Oriented Policing Services Grants; Bioterrorism
    and Public Health Emergency Grants; and, Emergency Response
    Assistance Grants.

**Establishing a New Threat-Based First Responder Grant Program**

-   The State and Regional First Responder Preparedness Grant Program
    will be administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Office
    of State and Local Government Coordination.

**Eligibility for Grants**

-   Both States and multi-jurisdictional regions are eligible to apply
    for these grants.

-   Regions may be defined as multi-state or intra-state, with
    boundaries established by law or through agreement of two or more
    the participating governments or governmental agencies in a mutual
    aid agreement.

**Threat-Based Distribution of Grants**

-   The Secretary is required to distribute grants on the basis of the
    actual threat to the State or region applying for the grant.

-   The legislation does not rely on population-based or other political
    formulas for grant distribution.

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-   In applying for a grant, the applicant must include information on:
    the intended use and the beneficiary of the grant funds; information
    on applicable mutual aid agreements; descriptions of the nature of
    the threat to which the grant relates; and a statement explaining
    why the proposed use of funds is not a traditional first responder
    mission.

**Evaluating Applications**

-   The Department's Office of State and Local Government Coordination
    (OSLGC) is the sole interface with applicants in the homeland
    security grant-making process.

-   Applications for grants will be considered in light of a
    comprehensive assessment of the prevailing threat as conducted by
    the Department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection
    Directorate (IAIP).

**Allowable Use of Funds**

-   The purchase or upgrading of equipment; exercises to strengthen
    emergency response; training in the use of equipment; training to
    detect, prevent, prepare for, and respond to attacks involving
    weapons of mass destruction, regardless of their perpetrators or
    sponsorship.

**Requiring States to Pass Down Grant Funds to Local Governments**

-   If a grant recipient is a State, it must pass 80 percent of the
    grant funds to local governments, first responders, and any other
    local groups specified in the grant application within 45 days of
    receiving the grant.

-   The bill creates incentives for States to distribute grant funds
    quickly to beneficiaries

-   All grants authorized under this program will have a 25% matching
    requirement for recipients (effective two years after enactment of
    the Act).

**Accountability and Flexibility for First Responder Grant Funds**

-   The legislation requires DHS to annually report to Congress the
    amount of federal funds directed to each State and region and
    information on the use of grant funds by recipient.

-   The legislation allows a grant recipient, through a waiver from the
    Secretary, to transfer funds, in whole or in part, from the purposes
    specified in the grant to other purposes authorized under this bill.

**Additional Provisions**

-   The legislation requires DHS to reform its multi-colored threat
    advisory system so that warnings can be issued to geographical areas
    and industrial sectors, based on intelligence information on the
    specific threat conditions.

-   The legislation requires the DHS Secretary to report to Congress on
    the need to grant State and locals officials with security
    clearances for the purposes of accessing homeland security related
    classified information.