Governors protest changes to FEMA grant programs

A policy shift by the Homeland Security Department on how state and local governments can spend grants could put critical programs at risk of being stalled or killed, the National Governors Association said Monday.

But a department spokesman said Homeland Security is "undertaking a thorough review" of its grant efforts and downplayed tension with the nation's governors.

In a letter sent to Homeland Security and White House officials, the NGA complained that a recent policy change by the Federal Emergency Management Agency will prevent homeland security grants from being used to support current projects. The association believes the change will restrict the ability of state and local governments to sustain critical programs, and asked for the policy to be altered.

Without greater flexibility to use grant funds, "critical national capabilities that have been strengthened over the past several years, such as interoperable emergency communications, intelligence and information sharing, hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response and search and rescue, will be severely weakened or lost entirely," the letter said.

"For example, information technology projects that support interoperable communications systems or intelligence fusion centers are dependent upon the maintenance of software agreements, technology upgrades, and user fees throughout the life of the system," the letter added.

An NGA spokeswoman said the policy applies to using funding under the State Homeland Security Grant program and the Urban Area Security Initiative program -- two of the largest sources of national emergency preparedness grants.

She said the policy shift is also unfair because state and local governments are in the middle of their grant cycles. The states were notified of the policy shift Sept. 22, she said.

The department spokesman said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano "appreciates the NGA letter and is committed to working with all of our partners for a more fully integrated and responsive process that recognizes the operational and fiscal needs of first responders."