Overview

The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers nonprofit security grants to promote target hardening and other physical security enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack.  Minnesota’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management currently reviews, scores, and ranks each application before submitting the applications to the federal agency.

In 2017, the Legislature created a temporary state program to supplement the federal program.  Applications for the federal program were treated as applications for the state program.  Once recipients of the federal grants were announced, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management awarded state grants of up to $75,000 beginning with the highest ranked applicant.  No applicant could receive more than a total of $75,000 from both the state and federal programs.  The Legislature appropriated $150,000 in fiscal year 2018 for state grants.  This bill extends that program.

Section 1 of the bill provides a blank appropriation for security grants to supplement the existing federal grant program.  The program is identical to the one created in 2017 except in its grant award limits.  Grantees may receive up to $150,000 from the state, but no recipient can receive more than a total of $150,000 from the federal and state programs.