05.26.16

FY17 DHS Full Committee Markup Bill Summary

SUMMARY

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

FISCAL YEAR 2017 APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Full Committee Mark:  May 26, 2016

           

Washington, D.C. – The fiscal year 2017 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill provides a total of $49.74 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding.  Of this total, $48.07 billion is for discretionary programs, including $163 million for Coast Guard overseas contingency operations (OCO) and a $6.7 billion cap adjustment for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund.  After excluding these two adjustments, the net discretionary appropriation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is $41.201 billion, $246 million more than fiscal year 2016 and $578 million more than the President’s request.

         

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee, said:

        

“This bill is tasked with bolstering our nation’s defenses against a myriad of threats.  It’s vital that Congress work across the aisle to make sure our security agencies have the resources they need. This bill appropriately prioritizes disaster response, border security, airport screening, and state and local grant funding.  In addition, the investments made in cybersecurity will further economic and national security.   It’s been a great pleasure to work with Chairman Hoeven to craft this legislation.

          

“Missed flights and wait times of an hour or more in security lines, are wearing on customers and the approaching surge in summer travel threatens to make matters even worse. Approving a reallocation of funds at DHS was an important first step to begin hiring new screeners and provide some relief for travelers. I’m pleased this bill takes additional action to right-size airport security staff and resources.”

           

U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement:

        

“The Homeland Security bill shows that the defense of America is not all in the Defense Appropriations bill.  The bipartisan bill written by Chairman Hoeven and Ranking Member Shaheen provides both national security and economic security.  I want to highlight that this bill provides necessary resources for TSA to address growing passenger wait times and missed flights at our nation’s busiest airports through the hiring of more TSA screeners than was requested, deployment of more bomb sniffing dogs and investment in new, innovative screening technologies.  Also, the bill provides $94 million for the Coast Guard Yard, allowing the skilled men and women at the Yard to service and maintain current ships.  But ultimately homeland security starts in each of our communities – whether responding to a terrorist threat or a tornado or hurricane, state and local first responders will be on the scene immediately.  That’s why I’m glad the Homeland Security bill provides $1.54 billion for state and local grants, protecting us from terrorism and other emerging threats.”

      

Key Points & Highlights

       

  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  The bill provides $7.669 billion, $228 million more than fiscal year 2016 and $79 million more than the request.  With significant increases to airline travel, the bill adds 1,344 more Transportation Security Officers than requested to help mitigate historic airport wait times.  Over the past two fiscal years the Committee has funded more than 1,900 more screeners than the President requested.  The bill also adds 50 bomb sniffing canine teams to improve passenger throughput and increase the security presence at airports, and funds innovative technology pilot programs to test new passenger screening concepts at select airports to improve security and minimize the burden of travel.

          

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The bill provides $4.862 billion for FEMA, including $1.045 billion to support the Agency’s preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery personnel.  For FEMA Grants the bill provides:
    • $1.544 billion for state and local grants and preparedness training, rejecting the Administration’s proposed 35 percent cut.  These funds provide the nation’s over 2 million first responders and 6,000 emergency managers with the training and readiness needed for a coordinated response to terrorism.  Included in the total is $50 million for grant funding to work with communities in countering violent extremism.
    • $680 million for Firefighter Assistance Grants to ensure fire departments are staffed and firefighters are equipped to handle not only day-to-day tasks safely, but also to address emerging threats. 
    • $350 million in Emergency Management Performance Grants for communities to have local capacity to manage a disaster, reducing the need for federal resources.
    • $177.5 million to address the nation’s backlog in flood map production and quality.
    • $100 million in Predisaster Mitigation Grants to reduce the impacts of disasters before they strike.
    • $100 million in emergency food and shelter grants for assistance to those in urgent economic strife.                   

      

  • Disaster Relief.  The bill provides the requested $7.349 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, $6.709 billion of which is provided pursuant to the Budget Control Act disaster relief cap adjustment.  This level will support the estimated costs associated with an average disaster year as well as the costs of recovery from previous major disasters. 

         

  • Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The bill provides $11.182 billion for Customs and Border Protection, supporting Border Patrol agents, CBP officers, pilots and marine operators who patrol and protect our nation’s border.  In addition to personnel, the bill includes critical investments in border security infrastructure and technologies including: funding for additional integrated fixed towers along the southern border; relocatable towers and tactical aerostats to detect and respond to shifts in cross-border traffic; three new multi-role enforcement aircraft to continue addressing this aviation requirement; and replacement light-enforcement helicopters.

         

  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  The bill provides $5.964 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure compliance with U.S. immigration laws while streamlining and facilitating the legal immigration process.  It strongly supports investigations into stopping the severest forms of human trafficking and smuggling, as well as efforts to prevent child sex tourism through funding of International Meagan’s Law.  The bill also fully funds the request for detention alternatives.

     

  • Coast Guard.  The bill provides $10.402 billion for the Coast Guard, including $163 million of OCO funding.  Excluding OCO, the Coast Guard receives $129 million more than the request.  The bill includes critical expenditures to procure new assets, including: $100 million for the Offshore Patrol Cutter, including long lead time materials; $325 million for the acquisition of six Fast Response Cutters; and $94 million for vessel sustainment work at the Coast Guard Yard.  In addition to these investments, there is $1 billion in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for a new polar icebreaker.  This funding model was used for the Coast Guard’s last icebreaker acquisition, the Healy.

       

  • Secret Service.  The bill fully funds the $1.891 billion request for the Secret Service, supporting Special Agent and Uniformed Division hiring and funding the last quarter of the 2016 Presidential campaign and inaugural security-related activities, physical security enhancements called for by the Protective Mission Panel, computer forensics and cybercrimes training, and grants and other support for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

        

  • Cybersecurity.  The bill provides a total of $1.005 billion for the National Protection and Programs Directorate to protect our federal networks from espionage, data theft and cyber attacks.  At $186 million above fiscal year 2016 level, this investment will help guard against the over 77,000 cyber incidents experienced by federal agencies last year, which was a 10 percent increase compared to the previous year.  Included within this amount is:
    • $282 million for real-time diagnostics and mitigation; 
    • $480 million for intrusion detection on civilian federal networks; and
    • $14.2 million for cybersecurity education to train future cyber personnel.

            

  • United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.  The bill provides $119.1 million for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to maintain and improve the employment eligibility verification system known as E-Verify, and authorizes the use of $10 million in fees for immigrant integration grants.

           

  • Science and Technology.  The bill provides $789.7 million for the Science and Technology Directorate.  This funding will allow DHS to focus its research and development efforts on solving some of the nation’s hardest homeland security challenges. Within this total is $40.5 million for the Centers of Excellence program, which supports 10 competitively-awarded centers headed up by major universities, each focused on different homeland security vulnerabilities.

            

  • New DHS Headquarters.  The bill provides $225.5 million, as requested, to support continued construction at the St. Elizabeths campus in Washington, D.C.   Consolidating all of the DHS facilities currently scattered across 50 locations throughout the metropolitan area will result in $1.17 billion in savings.   

           

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Press Contact

Mara Stark-Alcalá w/Appropriations:             (202) 224-2667                                  

Ryan Nickel, Shaheen Press Office:          (202) 224-5553