I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3839 

To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to address 

homeland security preparedness shortcomings of units of municipal and 

county government. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2004 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York (for herself, Mr. FROST, Mr. OWENS, Mrs. 

JONES of Ohio, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. STARK, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. 

WOOLSEY, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, and Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Energy 

and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to make 

grants to address homeland security preparedness shortcomings of units of municipal and county government. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Domestic Preparedness 

5 Act of 2004’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. GRANT AUTHORITY. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu3 rity may make grants in accordance with this Act to ad4 dress homeland security preparedness shortcomings of 

5 units of municipal and county government. 

6 (b) CATEGORIES.—Each grant under this section 

7 shall be made for one of the following categories of use: 

8 (1) Equipment and training. 

9 (2) Improving interoperability between members 

10 of a consortium of municipal or county governments. 

11 (c) COST SHARING.—The Federal share of the costs 

12 of an activity carried out with a grant under this section— 

13 (1) may not exceed 70 percent of the total costs 

14 of such activity, in the case of a grant for equipment 

15 and training; and 

16 (2) may not exceed 90 percent of the total costs 

17 of such activity, in the case of a grant for improving 

18 interoperability between members of a consortium of 

19 municipal or county governments. 

20 SEC. 3. GRANT ELIGIBILITY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant under 

22 this Act, an applicant must be a unit of municipal or coun23 ty government or a consortium of such units. 

24 (b) LIMITATION.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—A unit of municipal or coun2 ty government, or a consortium of such units, may 

3 not receive more than one grant under this Act. 

4 (2) RESTRICTION ON ADDITIONAL GRANT TO

5 MEMBER OF CONSORTIUM.—A unit of municipal or 

6 county government that is a member of a consor7 tium that receives a grant under this Act is not eli8 gible to receive an additional grant under this Act 

9 individually or as a member of another consortium. 

10 SEC. 4. APPLICATION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Any unit of municipal or county 

12 government may submit an application for a grant under 

13 this section to the Secretary, on behalf of such unit or 

14 on behalf of a consortium of which the unit is a member. 

15 (b) CONTENTS.—An application under this section— 

16 (1) shall seek funding for one of the categories 

17 of use required under section 2(b); and 

18 (2) shall include the results of a vulnerability 

19 assessment in accordance with section 5. 

20 SEC. 5. VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may not make a 

22 grant under this Act unless the applicant for the grant 

23 conducts a vulnerability assessment that assesses the risk 

24 and vulnerability of the applicant (including each member 

25 of the applicant, in the case of a consortium) to a variety 
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1 of possible acts of terrorism, including conventional, bio2 logical, nuclear, and chemical attacks. 

3 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSESSMENTS.—The Sec4 retary of Homeland Security shall prescribe requirements 

5 for vulnerability assessments under this section. 

6 (c) LIMITATION ON GRANTS FOR EQUIPMENT OR

7 TRAINING.—The Secretary may not make a grant under 

8 this Act for equipment and training unless the Secretary 

9 determines that the grant will address a need determined 

10 in the vulnerability assessment conducted under this sec11 tion for purposes of the grant. 

12 SEC. 6. USE OF GRANT. 

13 Amounts provided as a grant under this section— 

14 (1) shall be used only for the category of use 

15 under section 2(b) for which the grant is made; 

16 (2) may be used only for new domestic pre17 paredness initiatives; 

18 (3) shall not be used to sustain or supplement 

19 existing program; and 

20 (4) may be distributed by the grantee to fire 

21 departments, police departments, emergency serv22 ices, and public health agencies of the grantee. 

23 SEC. 7. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER GRANT PROGRAMS. 

24 The program of grants under this Act— 
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1 (1) is intended to complement, and not not take 

2 the place of, the Assistance to Firefighters Program 

3 conducted by the Office of Domestic Preparedness; 

4 and 

5 (2) does not affect the eligibility of any person 

6 for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants or any 

7 other funding made available by the Department of 

8 Homeland Security. 

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