As spending bills for the Homeland Security Department move through Congress — the full Senate must still debate its fiscal 2008 appropriations bill for DHS — observers are cautious about predicting the final outcome. But already it is clear there will be big winners and, possibly, major losers.
One possible loser is a program for national driver’s license standards under the Real ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005. Its purpose is to strengthen anti-terrorist defenses by requiring states to issue driver’s licenses that conform to federal standards. State governors estimated the program could cost as much as $11 billion over five years, and DHS has set a deadline of Dec. 31, 2009, for states to begin implementing the program. So far, however, it’s unclear how much the federal government is willing to pay as its share.
The Senate Appropriations Committee included no funding for Real ID in the markup of its spending bill, and the House proposed only $50 million for the program in the bill it passed June 15.
That’s not much, but at least it’s a start, said Jennifer Kerber, senior director of homeland security programs at the Information Technology Association of America, whose members are high-tech companies. Many states look at Real ID as an unfunded mandate from the federal government, which could undermine the program, she added.
“If the federal government doesn’t come up with funding, then some states will not implement Real ID,” Kerber said. “We’ve already seen some cases where [state departments of motor vehicles] have asked for money to improve their processes, but the state legislatures have turned them down because they don’t see anything coming from the feds.”
Althought states’ DMVs are looking like losers, state and local emergency managers are the clear winners in the fiscal 2008 appropriations process that is under way. The House and Senate have proposed a $100 million increase in Emergency Management Performance Grants, for a total of $300 million. DHS will provide the grants to develop and improve state and local emergency management capabilities. Many emergency management offices need that money to continue operating.
The final spending bill that emerges from a House/Senate conference will likely include major increases in grants, said Yvette Tetreault, policy analyst at Federal Funds Information for States, a service of the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures. “It’s a big surprise,” she added. “I don’t know why they are proposing the increases, other than it’s maybe the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.”
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