To require that 50 percent of the amounts provided under certain grants provided by the Department of Homeland Security for first responders shall be distributed directly to local entities, and for other purposes.

Summary: Direct Funding for First Responders Act of 2004 - Requires 50 percent of the amounts provided under certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants for first responders to be distributed directly to local entities (including local governments and first responders) and allocated among and by such entities in the manner proposed in the approved grant application.

Makes this Act applicable to DHS grants to States or regions to improve the ability of first responders to prevent, prepare for, respond to, or mitigate threatened or actual terrorist attacks, especially those involving weapons of mass destruction, including any grant under DHS's State Homeland Security Grant Program or Urban Area Security Initiative. Excludes grants not administered by DHS, fire grant programs authorized under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, and grants under the Emergency Management Performance Grant and the Urban Search and Rescue Grants Programs.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Direct Funding for First Responders 
Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. DISTRIBUTION OF 50 PERCENT OF GRANT FUNDS TO LOCAL ENTITIES.

    (a) Direct Distribution to Local Entities.--Fifty percent of the 
amounts provided under a grant to which this section applies shall be 
distributed directly to local entities (including local governments and 
first responders).
    (b) Allocation.--The funds distributed directly to local entities 
under subsection (a) shall be allocated among and by such entities in 
the manner proposed in the approved application for the grant.

SEC. 3. COVERED GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2 applies to any grant provided by the 
Department of Homeland Security to States or regions to improve the 
ability of first responders to prevent, prepare for, respond to, or 
mitigate threatened or actual terrorist attacks, especially those 
involving weapons of mass destruction, and including any grant under 
the following:
            (1) State homeland security grant program.--The State 
        Homeland Security Grant Program of the Department, or any 
        successor to such grant program.
            (2) Urban area security initiative.--The Urban Area 
        Security Initiative of the Department, or any successor to such 
        grant program.
    (b) Excluded Programs.--Section 2 does not apply to or otherwise 
affect the following Federal grant programs or any grant under such a 
program:
            (1) Nondepartment programs.--Any Federal grant program that 
        is not administered by the Department of Homeland Security.
            (2) Fire grant programs.--The fire grant programs 
        authorized by sections 33 and 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention 
        and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229, 2229a).
            (3) Emergency management planning and assistance account 
        grants.--The Emergency Management Performance Grant program and 
        the Urban Search and Rescue Grants program authorized by title 
        VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq.); the Departments of 
        Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and 
        Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (113 Stat. 1047 
        et seq.); and the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 
        U.S.C. 7701 et seq.).

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Region.--The term ``region'' means--
                    (A) any geographic area consisting of all or parts 
                of 2 or more contiguous States, counties, 
                municipalities, or other local governments that have a 
                combined population of at least 1,650,000 or have an 
                area of not less than 20,000 square miles, and that, 
                for purposes of an application for a covered grant, is 
                represented by 1 or more governments or governmental 
                agencies within such geographic area, and that is 
                established by law or by agreement of 2 or more such 
                governments or governmental agencies in a mutual aid 
                agreement; or
                    (B) any other combination of contiguous local 
                government units (including such a combination 
                established by law or agreement of two or more 
                governments or governmental agencies in a mutual aid 
                agreement) that is formally certified by the Secretary 
                as a region for purposes of this Act with the consent 
                of--
                            (i) the State or States in which they are 
                        located, including a multi-State entity 
                        established by a compact between two or more 
                        States; and
                            (ii) the incorporated municipalities, 
                        counties, and parishes which they encompass.
            (2) Emergency response providers.--The term ``emergency 
        response providers'' includes Federal, State, and local 
        emergency public safety, law enforcement, emergency response, 
        emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), 
        and related personnel, agencies, and authorities.
            (3) Local government.--The term ``local government'' 
        means--(A) a county, municipality, city, town, township, local 
        public authority, school district, special district, intrastate 
        district, council of governments (regardless of whether the 
        council of governments is incorporated as a nonprofit 
        corporation under State law), regional or interstate government 
        entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government; (B) 
        an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or in Alaska 
        a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation; and (C) 
        a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other 
        public entity.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 
        possession of the United States.