Domestic Defense Fund Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-140
Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]
Introduced: 2005-01-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Agriculture and Food
Airports
Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces reserves
Auditing
Aviation safety
Block grants
Boundaries
Bridges
Canals
Chemical industries
Chemical warfare
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Community policing
Computer security measures
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation
Department of Homeland Security
Depressed areas
Disaster relief
Economics and Public Finance
Electric power transmission
Emergency communication systems
Emergency medicine
Energy
Energy security
Energy storage
Environmental Protection
Equipment and supplies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal installations
Federal office buildings
Fire fighters
Food safety
Gas pipelines
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Harbors
Health
Hours of labor
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Inland water transportation
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
International Affairs
Interstate compacts
Labor and Employment
Law
Law enforcement officers
Marine safety
Marine terminals
Metropolitan areas
Minorities
National Guard
Natural gas
Nondiscrimination provisions
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear terrorism
Paramedical personnel
Performance measurement
Petroleum pipelines
Petroleum storage
Planning
Police
Police communication systems
Police training
Population
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Railroad safety
Railroads
Regional planning
Science, Technology, Communications
Security measures
Standards
Terminals (Transportation)
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation of hazardous substances
Transportation safety
Tunnels
Urban affairs
Urban areas
Water Resources Development
Water supply
Water treatment plants
Waterways

Summary:
action_date: 2005-01-24
text: 
Domestic Defense Fund Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to award grants to States, units of local government, and Indian tribes for homeland security development. Requires grant awardees, among other requirements, to develop a homeland security plan identifying both short- and long-term homeland security needs. Provides authorized uses of grant assistance, including: (1) funding additional law enforcement, fire, and other emergency response resources and equipment; and (2) improving cyber and infrastructure security. Requires one percent of grant funds to be reserved for Indian tribes. Requires 70 percent of grant funds to be allocated among metropolitan cities and urban counties based on the Secretary's calculations of various infrastructure vulnerabilities and threats such as proximity to international borders, nuclear or other energy facilities, air, rail or water transportation, and national icons and Federal buildings. Requires the remaining percentage to be allocated among the States for use in non-qualifying communities (not a metropolitan city, urban county, or Indian tribe).
 
Requires certifications and annual reports with respect to grant uses. Provides for grant reallocations for failure to comply with use requirements.
 
Allocates funds to States, regional cooperations, and units of local government for: (1) homeland defense planning; (2) increased security through additional first responder personnel; (3) purchasing and refurbishing protective equipment for such personnel; (4) the development and maintenance of Statewide training facilities and homeland security best practices clearinghouses; and (5) the development and maintenance of communications systems that can be used between and among first responders, including law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical personnel.
 
Allocates funds for discretionary grants to high-threat, high-risk urban areas for their homeland security needs.
 
Earmarks funds for a flexible emergency assistance fund for States and local governmental units that incur extraordinary homeland security costs.
 
Directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop national homeland security preparedness, first responder training, and equipment standards, and best practices for the use of funds authorized and allocated under this Act.
 
Mandates a ten percent matching funds requirement from grant recipients.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-02-15
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1378)
action_date: 2005-01-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S357-363)
action_date: 2005-01-24
text: Introduced in Senate