Agencies Seek Their Money for Security

State and local emergency agencies need more guidance and faster funding from the federal government for homeland security projects to combat terrorism, officials told congressional lawmakers Thursday.

“We need to get dollars from the federal government, and we need to get them fast,” said Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo, testifying before the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the federal government pledged $20 billion in grant money to local and federal jurisdictions to prepare first responders for potential terrorist attacks.

Orange County has collected just $875,000 of its $12-million federal grant, Jaramillo told lawmakers. And the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has “yet to directly benefit” from government funds, department Capt. Michael Grossman testified. The two counties comprise more than 40% of the state’s emergency personnel, Jaramillo said.

The Los Angeles Police Department is waiting to get more than $6 million in federal grants, said Lt. John Karle in a telephone interview.

Some agencies plan to use the money to buy equipment and train personnel in simulated terrorism exercises. Both counties must dip into law enforcement budgets to pay for anti-terrorism programs, officials said.

As it stands, the homeland security grant application and allocation process channels funds for agencies through the federal government to states, which then disburse them to local governments.

The convoluted system needs reforming, said Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), chairman of the panel.

“Somewhere between Congress spending the money and first responders cashing the check there is a terrible bottleneck,” Cox said. “The state of California does not have the kind of financial statements that permit us to go in and look and see where that money is; we certainly couldn’t track it as we could a UPS package.”

Cox is helping to draft legislation to simplify the 12-step process to two steps. He also hopes to institute a program in which areas with the highest risk of terrorist attack, such as major cities like Los Angeles, would receive the most money. The current system, which allots $5 for each emergency responder in California and $35 for each first responder in Wyoming, creates “an astonishing distortion in funding,” Cox said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced similar legislation earlier this year.

Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, speaking on behalf of the National Governors Assn., praised many states’ efficiency in distributing first-response funds to local governments. Romney cited Massachusetts’ success in developing a statewide plan to combat terrorism.

“Having states be the source of funding is a critical element in having a holistic, comprehensive plan,” Romney testified. He emphasized the need for federal preparedness standards by which states can measure their homeland security efforts.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) questioned Romney on the $900,000 allotted to Oak Bluffs Marina in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., to secure the resort area against a potential terrorist attack. “That’s a prime example of what happens when the federal government gives appropriations directly to communities,” Romney said.

The grant, made by the Transportation Security Administration, was not part of Massachusetts’ statewide plan, he said. The state awarded 34 of 117 grant requests, favoring those with regional, rather than municipal security plans, and those with a higher terrorist threat.

Several committee members offered pointed remarks. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) exhorted her colleagues to eliminate bureaucratic delay in first-responder funding. “America is still not safe,” she said.