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7A FEDERAL UPDATE from page 1 ......................................................... p.flge 14 FY 2007 Appropriations Outlook On Friday, September 29, Congress passed and the president signed into law a continuing resolution (CR), which will fund all federal pro- grams that were not enacted through annual appropriations bills by the October 1 start of FY 2007. Defense and Homeland Security Appro- priations are not covered under the CR, as Con- gress passed the FY 2007 spending bills shortly before adjourning to campaign for the November elections. The CR will extend federal funding for the remaining federal programs through November 17 at the lowest of the House-passed or FY 2006 spending levels. An exception is the Labor-HHS- Education spending measure (H.R. 5647). Since the bill has not passed in the House or the Sen- ate, funding for the programs covered by that bill will be left at the FY 2006 level. House and Senate leaders hope to complete the 10 remaining appropriations bills when Con- gress returns for a post-election legislative ses- sion on November 13. FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropria- tions Also on September 29, Congress passed the conference agreement on H.R. 5441, the FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The legislation provides $31.9 billion in discretionary funding and $1.8 billion in emergency appropria- tions for border security, with $1.2 billion provided for a border fence that combines physical infra- structure, vehicle barriers and sensor technology. The agreement maintains current law for all formula grants, and provides the following amounts for domestic homeland security pro- grams: $525 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program (a $50 million decrease compared to FY 2006 enacted levels); · $770 million for Urban Area Security Initiative grants (a $5 million increase compared to the FY 2006 enacted level); · $375 million for Law Enforcement Terror- ism Prevention Grant Program (a $65 million decrease compared to the FY 2006 enacted level); · $547 million for FIRE Grants (a $108 million decrease compared to the FY 2006 en- acted level); · $200 million for Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (a $15 million in- crease compared to the FY 2006 enacted level); · $210 million for port security grants (a $36 million increase over the FY 2006 enacted level); · $175 million for rail and transit security grants (a $27 million increase compared to the FY 2006 enacted level); · $50 million for buffer zone protection plan grants (a $1.5 million increase compared to the FY 2006 enacted level); · $50 million for the commercial equipment direct assistance program (a $1.5 million increase over the FY 2006 enacted level); $145 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (a $1.45 million in- crease over the FY 2006 enacted level); · $662 million for firefighter assistance grants, of which $115,000,000 is for SAFER Act grants (a $13.75 million increase over the FY 2006 enacted level) Congress also included reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the FY 2007 spending bill. The measure contains lan- guage that will elevate the standing of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security and restore the nexus between emergency preparedness and response using an all hazards approach. The president signed the measure into law on October 4. Port Security On September 30, Congress passed the conference agreement on H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act. The Continued on Page 15 PAGE 14 . PRIORITY FOCUS October 6, 2006 . Issue #39 Visit the League's Official Websiteuwww.caclties.org