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TheWeekInCongress.com
This data was provided by the Majority
Summary of Conference
Report to accompany H.R. 2892 – the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2010
The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill is focused on securing our
nation’s borders and preparing for any potential disaster. The conference
agreement totals $42.776 billion of discretionary budget authority for
fiscal year 2010, $2.648 billion, or 6.6 percent, above fiscal year 2009.
Priorities in the bill are focused on five major goals:
- Securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws;
- Protecting the American people from terrorist threats and other
vulnerabilities, and ensuring the Department is nimble enough to address
future threats;
- Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all-hazards;
- Supporting our State, local, Tribal, and private sector partners in
homeland security with resources and information; and
- Giving the Department resources to strengthen financial,
procurement, IT systems, and other management tools that it needs to
succeed; eliminating or reducing programs that are ineffective or
duplicative.
Bill Total
2009 Enacted: $40.128 billion
2010 President’s Request: $43.071 billion (includes Coast Guard
Overseas Contingencies)
House Passed: $42.617 billion
Senate Passed: $42.927 billion
Conference Agreement: $42.776 billion
KEY INVESTMENTS
Customs and Border Protection (CBP): $10.1 billion,
$306 million above 2009, excluding stimulus funding. Funding within CBP
for border security includes:
- Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology (BSFIT):
$800 million for Southwest Border investments, $25 million
above 2009, and $22 million above the budget request. Through a mix of
fencing, technology, and Border Patrol agents on the ground CBP now has
nearly 700 miles of Southwest border under effective control, compared
to 241 miles in FY 2005.
- BSFIT funding includes $40 million, the same as 2009, for additional
investments in Northern Border security technology.
- Border Patrol: $3.587 billion, $86 million above
2009, to fully support 20,163 Border Patrol agents – an increase of
6,000 (or more than 50 percent) since 2006.
- Southwest Border Counterdrug Initiatives: $72.6
million, including $20 million for additional scanning systems for
southbound lanes and checkpoints, and $26 million above the request for
50 additional CBP officers, 100 Border Patrol agents, and 33 support
personnel and equipment to stop the outbound flow of weapons and
currency used in the drug trade. All inspection equipment is to be
competitively procured.
- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: $145 million,
as requested, to continue deploying technology and infrastructure at the
46 busiest border ports of entry and to facilitate travel and security
for all travelers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): $5.437
billion, $447.7 million above 2009, including:
- Dangerous Criminal Aliens: $1.5 billion for
identifying and removing from the United States criminal aliens who are
either at-large or already incarcerated in prisons or jails once an
immigration judge has ordered them deported.
- Secure Communities: Included in the $1.5 billion
is $200 million, $50 million above 2009, for a program that allows
local law enforcement to check fingerprints of people booked on
criminal charges for immigration and criminal records.
- Southwest Border Violence: $100 million to combat
international trade in illicit drugs, weapons smuggling and crimes
associated with violence along the Southwest Border. This is part of an
overall $99 million increase over 2009 for ICE investigations. Funding
includes:
- $70 million, as requested, to expand operations related to Southwest
border violence by initiating more ICE investigations, intelligence
activities, and international programs;
- $10 million above the request for investigations of transnational
gangs;
- $10 million above the request for expansion of Border Enforcement
Security Task Forces (BESTs); and
- $10 million above the request for counter-proliferation
investigation, including bulk cash and weapons smuggling investigations.
- Detention Capacity: Funding for 33,400 detention
beds and statutory language requiring that this number of beds be
maintained throughout the fiscal year.
- Worksite Enforcement: $135 million, $6 million
above the request, to hire special agents to perform audits of
employers.
- Alternatives to Detention: $70 million, $6 million
above the request, to expand this program nationwide
United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology
(US-VIST): $373.7 million, $73.7 million above 2009, for the
US-VISIT program which uses biometrics to track the entry of visitors to
the United States. The bill directs that a total of $50 million be used to
implement a biometric air exit capability so that we can determine if
individuals have overstayed their visas.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services:
$224 million, $122 million above 2009, including $5 million to cover
naturalization of immigrants serving in the U.S. armed services, $50
million for processing asylum and refugee applications, and $11 million to
expand immigrant integration and outreach efforts that promote legal paths
to US citizenship.
- E-Verify: Includes a 3-year extension of E-Verify,
as requested, and $137 million to operate the system and further improve
its accuracy and compliance rates.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA): $7.7
billion, $678.7 million above 2009, excluding stimulus funding. Funding
includes:
- Explosive Detection Systems: $778.3 million in
discretionary funding to purchase and install explosives detection
systems at airports. An additional $250 million will be provided for
this activity through mandatory fees.
- Air Cargo Security: $122.8 million, including $3.5
million above the budget request for 50 additional inspectors to ensure
compliance with the 100% screening mandate set for August 2010 in the
9/11 Act; $2.2 million above the budget request for inspectors and
canine teams to convert 35 legacy teams to proprietary teams; and $9
million above the budget request for testing and deployment of screening
technologies.
- Surface Transportation Security: $110.5 million,
including funds for 15 new Visible Intermodal Protective Response
security teams and 100 new surface transportation security inspectors to
defend against potential attacks against our subways, trains, and buses.
Coast Guard: $8.8 billion (excluding mandatory
funding), $415 million above 2009, including:
- Deepwater: $1.154 billion, $120 million above 2009,
including $389 million to complete production of the fourth National
Security Cutter (NSC #4) and for long lead time materials for NSC #5.
- Maritime patrol aircraft: $138.5 million for adding
two patrol aircraft to the service rotation.
- Fast Response Cutters: $243 million for four patrol
boats.
- Response Boat Mediums: $121 million to replace 41
foot Utility Boats in use since the early 1970's.
- Interagency Operation Centers: $10 million for
centers authorized by the SAFE Port Act.
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: $282.8
million for personnel and construction. The bill includes
a general provision expanding the definition of “rural” to help the Rural
Policing Institute reach jurisdictions in more rural areas of the United
States.
Chemical Security: $103.4 million for risk-based
chemical facility security including $25 million above 2009 to support the
coordination and management of regulating high-risk chemical facilities.
The increase, combined with the conversion of contract employees to
federal employees, will bring the total DHS chemical facility regulatory
staffing to 246, which is 168 above 2009. The bill also includes a one
year extension of DHS’s regulatory authority to secure chemical
facilities.
FEMA: $903 million for FEMA Management and
Administration. Together with amounts made available for management and
administration from other FEMA accounts, these activities are funded at $9
million above fiscal year 2009.
Science and Technology: $1.006 billion, $73.9 million
above 2009, for research on homeland security priorities, such as
counter-improvised explosives devices, cyber security, air cargo security,
and first responder technologies.
Cyber Security: $397 million, $84 million above 2009,
to expedite the continuing effort to combat the cyber security threat by
reducing the points of access to the federal computer network to prevent
hacking; by coordinating with the private sector who owns 85 percent of
the Nation’s critical infrastructure; and by increasing security training
and management of telecommunications, networks, computer systems, and the
Internet.
Homeland Security Grants: $4.17 billion, nearly $300
million above the request, for grants to first responders and partners in
homeland security, including:
- State Grants: $950 million, matching the request
and 2009, for grants used to plan, equip and train local first
responders to respond to terrorist attacks and catastrophic incidents,
including $60 million for Operation Stonegarden.
- Urban Area Security Grants: $887 million, matching
the request and $50 million above 2009, to help high-risk urban
communities prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
- Rail/Transit Security Grants: $300 million, $50
million above the request, to protect critical transit infrastructure,
including freight rail, Amtrak and ferry systems in high-threat areas.
- Port Security Grants: $300 million, $50 million
above the request, to assist ports in enhancing maritime domain
awareness and enhancing risk management capabilities to prevent, detect,
and respond to terrorist attacks.
- Emergency Management Performance Grants: $340
million, $25 million above the request and 2009, for all-hazard grants
for state and local emergency managers.
- Fire Grants (including SAFER): $810 million, $220
million above the request and $35 million above 2009, to help local fire
departments address communication, equipment and staffing problems. Of
this total, $420 million is for SAFER, as requested, and $390 million is
for fire grants.
- Metropolitan Medical Response System: $41 million,
$1 million above the request, to help high-threat communities respond to
mass casualty incidents.
- Interoperable Communications: $50 million, matching
the request and 2009, for help firefighters and emergency responders
talk to each other during a crisis.
- Emergency Operations Centers: $60 million, $25
million above 2009, to equip and upgrade central command facilities used
by emergency personnel during disasters.
REAL ID: $60 million, $40 million below 2009, to help
states comply with REAL ID, which requires state driver’s licenses to meet
new standards in order to be used for federal identification purposes. Of
this total, $50 million is for the driver’s license security grant
program, the same as 2009, and $10 million is for REAL ID hub development.
Emergency Food and Shelter: $200 million, matching
2009 and $100 million above the request, to address the increasing needs
for food and shelter of our citizens in this time of economic downturn.
Strengthening DHS Financial, Procurement, IT Systems, and other
Management tools:
- Data Center Migration: $150 million above 2009 to
continue the migration of 24 DHS data centers located across the country
and develop the two secure locations they will be housed in. This
funding will enable DHS to effectively monitor all IT systems for
compliance while reducing the risk of vulnerabilities in information
systems. Migration to two centers will also allow the Department to
mitigate disaster recovery deficiencies.
- Office of Security: $90.2 million, $29.3 million
above 2009, including: $20 million for secure identification cards for
DHS employees pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive
12; and $3 million to create a Personnel Security Adjudication Team
to reduce the backlog in background investigations for security
clearances, which has delayed hiring of critical positions at DHS.
- Office of the Chief Procurement Officer: $68.5
million, $29.5 million above 2009, including: $7.5 million to create
a new contracting component for classified programs; $8 million to
increase capacity in the acquisition program management division (this
increase will bolster the Department’s efforts to oversee major
Departmental procurements); and $7 million for 100 additional
acquisition professionals across the Department to fill a shortage of
qualified contracting professionals.
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO): $383
million, $131.2 million below 2009. The reduction reflects the
Department’s delay in developing next-generation radiation portal
monitors. DNDO is encouraged to focus on deterrence to alternative
pathways for bringing nuclear devices or radiological materials into the
country, such as general aviation or small maritime vessels. A total of
$20 million is provided for the Securing the Cities program.
United States Secret Service: $1.5 billion, $70
million above 2009. Additional funds are for Secret Service personnel
costs, a new overseas field office in Tallinn, Estonia, and to secure the
Service’s mission-critical computer applications.
SIGNIFICANT CUTS:
Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Monitors: Language is
included prohibiting the Department from full-scale procurement of
Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Monitors (ASP) monitors until the Secretary
submits a report to the Committees on Appropriations certifying that a
significant increase in operational effectiveness will be achieved.
Program Eliminations: Cuts $319 million by eliminating
funding for programs such as: advanced spectroscopic portal monitors,
trucking industry security grants, and commercial equipment direct
assistance program.
OTHER POLICY ITEMS:
Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility:
- Prohibits current detainees from being released into the continental
United States, Alaska, Hawaii, DC, or any U.S. territory.
- Prohibits current detainees from being transferred to the
continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, DC, or any U.S. territory,
except to be prosecuted and only after Congress receives a plan
detailing: risks involved and a plan for mitigating such risk; cost of
the transfer; legal rationale and court demands; and a copy of the
notification provided to the Governor of the receiving state 14 days
before a transfer with a certification by the Attorney General that the
individual poses little or no security risk.
- Current detainees cannot be transferred or released to another
country (including freely associated states) unless the President
submits to Congress 15 days prior to such transfer: the name of the
individual and the country the individual will be transferred to; an
assessment of risks posed and actions taken to mitigate such risks; and
the terms of the transfer agreement with the other country, including
any financial assistance.
- Requires the President to submit a report to Congress describing the
disposition of each current detainee before the facility can be closed.
- Bars the use of funds to provide any immigration benefits to GTMO
detainees other than to allow them to be brought to the U.S. for
prosecution.
- Mandates the inclusion of all GTMO detainees on the TSA No Fly
List.
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