Grant for $17.9 million for homeland security accepted

The Interim Finance Committee agreed Tuesday to receive a $17.9 million federal grant for homeland security projects.

Frank Siracusa, who directs emergency preparations and operations for the state, said it is the latest in a series of six grants from federal authorities. The first, for $537,000, went to local agencies for first responder training and preparation. That was followed by $1.6 million and $3.8 million grants in 2000-2002 for similar efforts.

This year, the state received a $6.7 million grant before the $17.9 million grant approved last week.

Siracusa said the money is for critical infrastructure protection but includes $2 million for state and local governments to reimburse agencies for costs caused by "color code elevation" orders. Of the more than $15 million remaining, local agencies will get about $12 million and the state the rest for different security projects.