I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4810 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2004 

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 

addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and the Judiciary, 

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 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. 

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 ‘‘Direct Funding for 

5 First Responders Act of 2004’’. 
2 

•HR 4810 IH 

1 SEC. 2. DISTRIBUTION OF 50 PERCENT OF GRANT FUNDS 

2 TO LOCAL ENTITIES. 

3 (a) DIRECT DISTRIBUTION TO LOCAL ENTITIES.— 

4 Fifty percent of the amounts provided under a grant to 

5 which this section applies shall be distributed directly to 

6 local entities (including local governments and first re7 sponders). 

8 (b) ALLOCATION.—The funds distributed directly to 

9 local entities under subsection (a) shall be allocated among 

10 and by such entities in the manner proposed in the ap11 proved application for the grant. 

12 SEC. 3. COVERED GRANTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2 applies to any grant 

14 provided by the Department of Homeland Security to 

15 States or regions to improve the ability of first responders 

16 to prevent, prepare for, respond to, or mitigate threatened 

17 or actual terrorist attacks, especially those involving weap18 ons of mass destruction, and including any grant under 

19 the following: 

20 (1) STATE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PRO21 GRAM.—The State Homeland Security Grant Pro22 gram of the Department, or any successor to such 

23 grant program. 

24 (2) URBAN AREA SECURITY INITIATIVE.—The 

25 Urban Area Security Initiative of the Department, 

26 or any successor to such grant program. 
3 

•HR 4810 IH 

1 (b) EXCLUDED PROGRAMS.—Section 2 does not 

2 apply to or otherwise affect the following Federal grant 

3 programs or any grant under such a program: 

4 (1) NONDEPARTMENT PROGRAMS.—Any Fed5 eral grant program that is not administered by the 

6 Department of Homeland Security. 

7 (2) FIRE GRANT PROGRAMS.—The fire grant 

8 programs authorized by sections 33 and 34 of the 

9 Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

10 (15 U.S.C. 2229, 2229a). 

11 (3) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND

12 ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT GRANTS.—The Emergency 

13 Management Performance Grant program and the 

14 Urban Search and Rescue Grants program author15 ized by title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

16 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

17 5195 et seq.); the Departments of Veterans Affairs 

18 and Housing and Urban Development, and Inde19 pendent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (113 

20 Stat. 1047 et seq.); and the Earthquake Hazards 

21 Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.). 

22 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 

24 (1) REGION.—The term ‘‘region’’ means— 
4 

•HR 4810 IH 

1 (A) any geographic area consisting of all 

2 or parts of 2 or more contiguous States, coun3 ties, municipalities, or other local governments 

4 that have a combined population of at least 

5 1,650,000 or have an area of not less than 

6 20,000 square miles, and that, for purposes of 

7 an application for a covered grant, is rep8 resented by 1 or more governments or govern9 mental agencies within such geographic area, 

10 and that is established by law or by agreement 

11 of 2 or more such governments or governmental 

12 agencies in a mutual aid agreement; or 

13 (B) any other combination of contiguous 

14 local government units (including such a com15 bination established by law or agreement of two 

16 or more governments or governmental agencies 

17 in a mutual aid agreement) that is formally cer18 tified by the Secretary as a region for purposes 

19 of this Act with the consent of— 

20 (i) the State or States in which they 

21 are located, including a multi-State entity 

22 established by a compact between two or 

23 more States; and 
5 

•HR 4810 IH 

1 (ii) the incorporated municipalities, 

2 counties, and parishes which they encom3 pass. 

4 (2) EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROVIDERS.—The 

5 term ‘‘emergency response providers’’ includes Fed6 eral, State, and local emergency public safety, law 

7 enforcement, emergency response, emergency med8 ical (including hospital emergency facilities), and re9 lated personnel, agencies, and authorities. 

10 (3) LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘local 

11 government’’ means—(A) a county, municipality, 

12 city, town, township, local public authority, school 

13 district, special district, intrastate district, council of 

14 governments (regardless of whether the council of 

15 governments is incorporated as a nonprofit corpora16 tion under State law), regional or interstate govern17 ment entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local 

18 government; (B) an Indian tribe or authorized tribal 

19 organization, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska 

20 Regional Native Corporation; and (C) a rural com21 munity, unincorporated town or village, or other 

22 public entity. 

23 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 

24 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

25 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
6 

•HR 4810 IH 

1 lands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth 

2 of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any possession 

3 of the United States. 

Æ