LANSING – A Michigan House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday learned that Michigan would have to compete more with other states this year to receive federal dollars for homeland security, as the state has already had to reprioritize funds that continue to diminish each year.
Captain Kriste Etue, deputy state director of homeland security and emergency management told the Fiscal Oversight, Audit and Litigation Subcommittee that Michigan can position itself for more money by focusing on the need to defend the state’s international border crossings, growing urban areas and nuclear power plants. The federal grant application is due by the end of the month, Etue said.
The year also will show the state focusing on more regionalized safety measures as opposed to local efforts, but officials will concentrate on that reorganization by starting at the local level Etue said, a maneuver that has the attention of the federal government since other states did not take such a grass roots approach to their regionalizations.
Committee Chair Rep. Bruce Caswell (R-Hillsdale), who was the only member of three to attend the hearing, asked how the state divides the dollars it receives for homeland security and why rural communities have seen a drop in their funding.
The federal money is divided into 80 percent for local agencies and 20 percent for state agencies. The local money is based on a 2002-2003 assessment that determines a community’s risks, population and threats. While state agencies such as the Department of Agriculture receive money to fight potential attacks as part of the 20 percent apportionment, the bulk of the funds go to urban areas where there population amounts are key, Etue said.
That is not to say that rural communities receive no funding, she said, but money is also distributed based on critical infrastructure safety, like if a county is host to a prison or nuclear power plant that distinguishes its needs from others. Frankly, Etue said, the amount of funding the state receives is 10 to 20 times less than it needs to cover all programs in all areas.
The push at first for homeland security was to bring all first responders up to a basic level of preparedness, which has been accomplished, she said. “We’re on the high, big-ticket items (now).”
Caswell also questioned how funds are monitored to ensure local units are using the money properly. Etue said local officials spend the municipality’s money for training or equipment and then are reimbursed through the state so they usually are careful to ensure they purchase has been certified, but there have been a couple times where a municipality selected the wrong training program and had to incur the cost.
Audits of each of the 83 counties also are being done by two Michigan State Police employees and should be completed over the next three to five years, she said.
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