* $330 million is provided for the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT) project under the direct control of the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security. This system will provide the capability to record the entry and exit of non-US citizens into and out of the US, and provide officials with information about persons who are in the US in violation of the terms of their admission to the US.
Training More Federal Agents
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center receives $192.78 million, chiefly to provide additional student training days to federal law enforcement agents.
State and Local Funding
$4.037 billion is allocated to the Office for Domestic Preparedness for assistance to our nation’s first responders, including:
* $1.7 billion for formula-based grants of which 80% of the funds made available to the state shall be made available to the localities within 60 days of the state receiving the funds.
* $750 million for Firefighters Assistance Grants.
* $725 million for discretionary grants for high-threat, high-density urban areas, of which 80% of the funds made available to the state shall be made available to the localities within 60 days of the state receiving the funds. In administering these grants, the Congress has directed the Secretary to take into consideration credible threat, presence of critical infrastructure, population, vulnerability, cooperation of multiple jurisdictions in preparing domestic preparedness plans, and the identified needs of public agencies when determining the allocation of these funds.
* $500 million for law enforcement terrorism prevention grants, of which 80% of the funds made available to the state, shall be made available to the localities within 60 days of the state receiving the fund. This is a new appropriation not funded in FY 2003.
* $40 million for Citizen Corps grants.
Emergency Preparedness
$9.1 billion is provided for Emergency Preparedness and Response, including:
* $1.8 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, which provides federal assistance to supplement state and local governments’ disaster response, recovery, preparedness and mitigation efforts. With this funding, DHS provides a significant portion of the total Federal response to victims in Presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies.
* $484 million for Public Health Programs, specifically $400 million for the Strategic National Stockpile, $50 million for the Metropolitan Medical Response System and $34 million for the National Disaster Medical System. This activity provides for the countermeasures needed to treat diseases caused by critical chemical and biological agents, as well as medical and support personnel. This FY 2004 funding is a $184 million increase over the $300 million funded in 2003.
* $200 million for the flood map modernization activities. This program uses state-of-the-art technology to cost-effectively develop accurate and complete flood hazard information nationwide. This capability will enable state and local planners to better identify high risk areas susceptible to flood damage. Using Hurricane Isabel as an example, FEMA, along with state and local land planning agencies, could have used this technology to better help identify areas in Virginia and North Carolina that are at risk for flood damage. This information is then used to develop a mitigation strategy where the Chesapeake Watershed is managed and improvements to coastal lands and structures are made that would have minimized flood damage. The flood map modernization program works in tandem with FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Fund, and together helps Americans limit losses in consequence of flood damage every year. The FY 2004 budget allocates $51 million more in funds over the $149 million funded in 2003.
