FY 2004 Budget Fact Sheet

For Immediate Release
October 1, 2003

FY 2004 Budget Fact Sheet

Today President Bush signed the first ever homeland security appropriations bill at the Department of Homeland Security, continuing his commitment to protect the American people. Overall, the Department's FY 2004 budget authority totals $37.6 billion: $30.4 billion provided by the Congress plus an additional $7.2 billion in fees.

Below are some highlights:

Aviation Security

Of nearly $4.6 billion in Transportation Security Administration (TSA) funding, specific programs include:

· $150 million to purchase explosives detection systems.

· $250 million to install these systems in airports.

Another $85 million is allocated to improve air cargo security, including:

· $30 million to enable TSA to improve its oversight of the known shipper program, using a risk-weighted freight screening system that will identify pieces of cargo that require closer scrutiny before being loaded on passenger aircraft. Funds will also enable TSA to hire an additional 100 staff to perform more in-depth audits of shipper compliance with the known shipper requirement.

· $55 million to be used by TSA’s Research and Development to pursue a variety of technological solutions that would allow for the most efficient and targeted inspections of cargo carried on passenger aircraft.

Port Security

$14 million for the “Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)” that will more than double the number of the Department’s partnerships with foreign manufacturers and importers. These partners agree to meet “supply chain” standards ensuring that their shipment methods repel potential terrorist attempts to use those shipments for introducing weapons of mass destruction into our ports.

· C-TPAT will add nearly 160 more supply chain security experts to provide training and technical assistance to those partners, who will benefit from the increased level of trust by experiencing fewer port inspections and shorter wait times.

$62 million for the Container Security Initiative (CSI), to deploy teams of inspectors, special agents, and intelligence analysts to 20 foreign “mega-ports” and approximately 10 other strategic ports to inspect containerized cargo for weapons of mass destruction before it is ever shipped to the United States.

$64 million will support technology for non-intrusive inspection (NII). This will add to a variety of port inspection assets supported from prior year funding, including radiation detection systems, large scale x-ray machines for trucks and oceangoing shipping containers, mobile vehicle and cargo inspection systems (VACIS), and isotope identifiers for international mail and express courier hubs. The advantage to importers whose cargo warrants increased inspection will be more efficient, timely, and less costly inspections than the alternative of physical removal of cargo from a conveyance.

$125 million for port security grants that fund security planning and projects to improve dockside and perimeter security at the nation’s ports. These funds represent the latest round of grants awarded to state and local governments and private companies that contribute to important security upgrades like new patrol boats in the harbor, surveillance equipment at roads and bridges, and the construction of new command and control facilities.

Border Security and Immigration Enforcement

$41 million for up to 570 additional Border Patrol Agents.

$35.2 million for an air surveillance wing on the Northern Border, of which $12.8 million is for the purchase of aircraft.

$6.7 million for 51 more Special Agents in the Compliance Enforcement Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Investigations. These agents will follow up on “overstays” identified by the US VISIT, SEVIS and NSEERS databases.

US VISIT

$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.

· $180 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants, of which no more than 3% may be used for administrative expenses. These grants help reduce the risk of future damage in hazard areas and ultimately reduce the need for disaster assistance. This is an increase of $15 million over the $165 million funded in 2003.

· $153 million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, of which no more than 3.5% may be used for administrative expenses. This program is designed to help address the problems of hunger and homelessness associated with disasters.

· $60 million for Urban Search and Rescue Teams, of which no more than 3% may be used for administrative expenses. This provides funding for the operations, equipment and training of search and rescue teams.

· $5.6 billion in advance appropriations for the years FY 2004 to FY 2013 for Project Bioshield, of which $890 million is available in FY 2004. Under this program, DHS will work with the Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the development and procurement of advanced vaccines and treatments to protect Americans against biological, chemical, and radiological threats.

Modernizing the U.S. Coast Guard

Of $6.8 billion provided for the Coast Guard,

· $668 million is allocated to the Integrated Deepwater System Project, the Coast Guard’s multi-year recapitalization that will replace or modernize the Coast Guard’s large ships, aircraft, sensors, command and control systems, and logistics system. Deepwater funding in FY-04 including $143 million for aircraft, which will include the purchase of a CASA 235 maritime patrol aircraft; $303 million to be used in part for construction of the first 420-foot National Security Cutter; $101 million for use in part for continued development of a network-centric command and control system that will provide a common operating picture; $24.7 million for a common logistics information system; and continued development of the vertical unmanned aerial vehicle that will deploy from IDS cutters.

· The FY 2004 budget provides for 7 additional deployable Maritime Safety and Security Teams for a total of 13 teams. Each team includes 90 people and 6 boats, which provide a robust security posture in ports to protect vulnerable assets such as bridges, nuclear power plants, passenger vessels, and vessels carrying hazardous cargo.

· An additional $26.3 million and 529 new personnel increase the Coast Guard’s search and rescue capability, and the safety of its people as they perform rescues during storms, floods, and darkness.

Science and Technology

$918.2 million is provided for Science and Technology, including:

· $88 million for the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center to build a facility that will be the DHS “hub and spoke” system that will further the mission of increasing understanding of potential bioterrorism pathogens and improving protection of human health and agriculture against biological terrorism.

· $75 million for the Rapid Prototyping Program, to fund counterterrorism projects selected through last summer’s and this fall’s Technical Support Working Group solicitations, and to support the rapid adaptation of commercial technologies through the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) for use by DHS and state and local first responders.

· $70 million for the Homeland Security University Programs. This program will include the Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows program that will provide scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing scientific studies in homeland security. In addition, it will include the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Centers) program that will establish a coordinated, university-based system to enhance the Nation’s homeland security. The HS-Centers will be a critical component of our nation’s defenses by providing a dedicated capability that will enhance our ability to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.

· $66.5 million for critical infrastructure protection, of which $60 million is provided for the research, development, testing and evaluation of an anti-missile device for commercial aircraft.

· $39 million for developing a database of homeland-security related standards from private sector standards development organizations, for certification and accreditation models for products and services, for testing and evaluation protocols for commercial radiation detectors, and for developing standard chemical methods of analysis of high explosives, chemical warfare agents, and toxic industrial chemicals.

· $38 million will be used to continue the deployment of the Urban Monitoring Program, also known as BioWatch. Through the BioWatch biosurveillance program, DHS, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control’s Laboratory Response Network provide early detection of bio-threats. These partners are working with state and local officials to implement an effective consequence management plan that incorporates the BioWatch system. In addition, these funds are also being applied to develop the next generation of bio-pathogen monitoring sensors.

· $127 million will be used to develop sensors and other countermeasures to prevent the illicit transport and use of radiological and nuclear materials within the United States.

Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection

A total of $839.3 million is provided for information analysis and infrastructure protection, including:

· $20 million for the Departmental Command Center, which provides 24 hour a day, 7 day a week live watch for command, control, and monitoring capabilities of the Department.

· $28 million for threat determination and assessment, which provides strategic assessments of our nation’s critical infrastructures and key assets, including 168,000 public water systems; 300,000 oil and natural gas production facilities; 4,000 offshore platforms; 278,000 miles of natural gas pipelines; 361 seaports; 104 nuclear power plants; 80,000 dams; and tens of thousands of other potentially critical targets.

· $52.3 million for information warnings and advisories, which will develop a comprehensive process to guide intelligence collection, assessment, evaluation, and prioritization; and ensure the required privacy protection related to the use, collection, and disclosure of private sector and personal information.

· $84.2 million for infrastructure vulnerability and risk assessment, which will develop and maintain a complete, accurate, and prioritized mapping of the nation’s critical infrastructures and key assets including agriculture, food, water, public health, emergency services, government, defense industrial base, information and telecommunications, energy, transportation, banking and finance, chemical and hazardous materials, postal and shipping, and monuments and icons.

· $345 million for remediation and protective actions, which includes work with state and local governments, and industry, to identify and prioritize protective measures; and to develop objective protection standards and performance measures.

· $141 million for the National Communications System, which includes the emergency notification system, back-up dial-tone, government emergency telecommunications network, and wireless priority service.

Immigration Services

· The CIS budget includes $1.8 billion, a 9% increase ($143 million) over FY 2003 to support further improvements in application processing as well as the processing of projected volume. The $1.8 billion is comprised of $236 million in appropriated funding and approximately $1.6 billion in projected fee revenues.

· The CIS budget supports the President's five-year, $500 million initiative, begun in FY 2002, to attain a universal six-month processing time standard for all immigration benefit applications, and provide quality service to all legal immigrants, citizens, businesses and other CIS customers. The third $100 million installment of the President's five-year plan consists of $20 million from revenues generated by the Premium Processing Service fee and $80 million in appropriated funds.

Secret Service

$1.14 billion is provided for the Secret Service, which includes new funding for White House mail screening. The bill also supports security enhancements at Secret Service protected facilities.

The USSS will be the lead agency for multiple National Special Security Events this year, including the G7/G8 meeting and the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and protection of presidential candidates during the campaign of 2004.

The bill also supports the Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force initiative, promotes additional programs to protect our nation’s financial infrastructure, and allows the Secret Service to continue to provide grant and forensic support to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

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