June 05, 2006

Sebelius announces homeland security grants
Governor says more than $14 million in funding coming to Kansas

Kansas has been awarded more than $14 million in homeland security grants, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced today, and its plans for improving security are ranked in the top 25 percent of all states.

“National peer review panels show Kansas is in the top 25 percent of states for our homeland security improvement proposals,” Sebelius said.  

The Governor also noted the state ranked high regarding the quality of the proposed plans it submitted for homeland security funds. 

“Six of our plans ranked in the top 15 percent of all state plans nationwide,” she said. “Those six plans were noted as exceptional and that speaks very highly of our homeland security team here in Kansas led by Major General Tod Bunting and Colonel Bill Seck.”

The six exceptional submittals included plant health emergency response and coordination; statewide information/intelligence sharing; a full scope of programs related to animal health emergencies; the Metropolitan Medical Response System in place in Wyandotte and Sedgwick Counties; institutionalized training for Weapons of Mass Destruction/Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE); and Food Safety and Defense of Critical Food/Water Infrastructure. 

The $14.2 million in funding is from the federal Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). While this amount is 26.8 percent less than the state received in Fiscal Year 2005, it is still better than the reduction made at the national level, which was 29.2 percent.

Kansas has a lower risk rating than half of other states and territories. This is because Kansas is not heavily populated, has no international borders and does not have any major urban centers, based on national standards.

The grants awarded to Kansas for Fiscal Year 2006 include $7.85 million for the State Homeland Security Program, $5.7 million for the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program, $464,660 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System and $249,224 for the Citizen Corps Program.

In Fiscal Year 2005, Kansas received approximately $29.7 million in HSGP grants. From FY 2002 to FY 2005, Kansas has received more than $118 million in Department of Homeland Security grants.