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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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 re-
sponders). 
(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 ap-
proved 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 weap-
ons of mass destruction, and including any grant under 
the following: 
(1) STATE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PRO-
GRAM.—The State Homeland Security Grant Pro-
gram 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 Fed-
eral 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 author-
ized 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 Inde-
pendent 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, coun-
ties, 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 rep-
resented by 1 or more governments or govern-
mental 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 com-
bination established by law or agreement of two 
or more governments or governmental agencies 
in a mutual aid agreement) that is formally cer-
tified 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 encom-
pass. 
(2) EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROVIDERS.—The 
term ‘‘emergency response providers’’ includes Fed-
eral, State, and local emergency public safety, law 
enforcement, emergency response, emergency med-
ical (including hospital emergency facilities), and re-
lated 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 corpora-
tion under State law), regional or interstate govern-
ment 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 com-
munity, 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 Is-