| Today, Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-05) announced that Sacramento has qualified to compete for Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funds for 2008. Grant proposals to the Department of Homeland Security detailing how the city will use appropriated funds must be submitted by May 1, 2008, with grants being awarded in July. “Sacramento is home to so many federal and state buildings, as well as hosting a complex mix of transportation and infrastructure systems. It is critical that we continue to be eligible for funding to help bolster our regional security,” said Rep. Matsui. The Department of Homeland Security recently announced that Sacramento is one of 60 high-risk cities eligible to apply for UASI funding this year. Since learning in 2005 that the Department of Homeland Security’s new risk assessment guidelines had threatened Sacramento’s eligibility for UASI funding, Congresswoman Matsui has worked to ensure that Sacramento receives the federal funding it needs to prevent and prepare for a terrorist attack. Last year, Rep. Matsui spearheaded an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill to increase the pool of available funds for UASI grants. Because of this increase in funding, the amount of UASI funding for FY 08 is $50 million over last year’s amount, for a total of $820 million. As a result of the increase in available funds, more emergency responders in Sacramento will be able to boost their readiness for potential terrorist attacks. “Keeping the people of the Sacramento region safe and secure is my number one priority, whether that means flood protection or emergency preparedness. We must take steps today to ensure the safety of our community now and for generations to come,” said Rep. Matsui. Past UASI funding has been used to develop and build the Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security (SROHS), which opened in Jan. 2007. SROHS is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary group, tasked with development and implementation of the Sacramento Urban Area Homeland Security Strategy. Built using federal funds, SROHS has become a hub of contact for emergency responders across the region. . In the last fiver years, the Sacramento region has been awarded UASI funds amounting to nearly $33 million: · $6.9 million in FY03· $7.9 million in FY04· $6.0 million in FY05 · $7.4 million in FY 06· $4.17 million in FY 07 “My constituents’ safety is of the gravest concern to me. Our predecessors had the foresight to build our response systems; now, we must have the vision to invest in improving the security of our communities. We must take the steps now to ensure that we bestow a safe, secure, and prosperous nation upon our children and grandchildren,” said Rep. Matsui. “I will continue to be a strong advocate for federal support for our region’s security initiatives. By being vigilant in our security and improving our response systems, we can heighten the security not only of Sacramento, but the entire state of California,” said Rep. Matsui. The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) is designed to fund designated high-threat, high-risk urban-area activities to prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorist attacks and catastrophic events. UASI funding supports the unique planning, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas. As the capital of the fifth-largest economy in the world, Sacramento greatly benefits from funds that boost emergency preparedness and public safety. The identified high-risk, high-threat urban areas are authorized to use funds to purchase specialized weapons of mass destruction equipment, plan and execute exercises, pay first responder overtime costs associated with heightened Homeland Security Advisory System threat levels, and train first responders. ### |
