NASHVILLE – An official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Monday during the National Conference of State Legislatures that 2007 will be a time for everyone to evaluate existing programs, but he also said another $1 billion in funding will be made available beginning in 2007.
Tracy Henke, executive director of the department’s Office of Grants and Training, said while the department has stumbled at times, 2006 has been its best year yet and that officials hope to regroup in an effort to better coordination and prevention services. At the same time, however, Henke responded to criticism that there have been too many changes so far in the department’s requirements for state and local officials.
“Progress has been made; we have a ways to go,” she said. “We are 100 percent dependent on our state and local partners.”
To date, the department has sent out $2.1 billion, and on top of the upcoming year appropriations by Congress, officials are negotiating with the Department of Commerce for a transfer of $1 billion that would be available in 2007, mostly for technical assistance, while 2008 funding will be awarded based on the tactical interoperable communication plans put together by state and local units.
The department is also putting together a procurement package that would allow units of government to purchase equipment and other necessaries at a lower cost and from one vendor, making delivery of goods faster, Henke said.
Sen. Michael Balboni of New York questioned whether states could use their portion of the $1 billion toward offsetting budgets for programs that have proven to be successful, but those that have had their budgets increase unexpectedly. Henke said that was not an option.
The communication plans, of which there are more than 75 nationwide, will be exercised until the fall, of which local officials will then get feedback on what improvements should be made.
“You cannot assume the level of preparedness with dollars out the door,” she said.
For the upcoming year, for the first time states will be able to look into the database that determines what areas are assessed for risk at a higher level, and are therefore awarded more grants, Henke said.
That was one area that caught the attention of newspapers nationwide as areas such as the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge were not given as high of priority as some officials believed there should have been.
“States will have visibility and the opportunity to say ‘hey, you missed this,'” she said.
But Balboni questioned the timeline placed on states to go through thousands of lines of information in a short time period. “It’s formula over substance and we’re missing the point.”
Henke said that could not be helped as Congress set the timeline for the analysis to occur.
International borders located near urban areas will be given more weight during the upcoming year assessments, Henke said. And the department is focusing on a training program that is available for communities with a population of 50,000 or less.
Henke reminded the group that individual preparedness and awareness is still critical, suggesting legislators start a district watch group, or educate others about becoming a citizen volunteer. Master degree programs on homeland security, originated by the Naval Academy, also have been rolled out to 20 land-grant universities, said.
But Balboni also questioned whether the department has begun to think of what would happen in the wake of another tragedy, which he said the nation has been lucky to avoid since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Henke said that resiliency has not been worked into the way the department assesses risk, but that conversation is beginning. The department also plans to roll out what it calls Operation Safe Commerce, which would track products from their creation to their final destination.
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