Simplifying FEMA Preparedness Grants, 62098-62101 [2023-19376]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 173 (Friday, September 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62098-62101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19376]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2023-0024]


Simplifying FEMA Preparedness Grants

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice and request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aims to improve 
the management and administration of its preparedness grant programs to 
continue to assist the nation in building and sustaining capabilities 
to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to terrorist 
attacks and other hazards. FEMA is issuing this Notice and Request for 
Information (RFI) to seek public input on simplifying and streamlining 
its preparedness grant process to improve the efficiency and 
accessibility of its suite of preparedness grant programs.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than November 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit comments responsive to this 
RFI electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments 
and use Docket ID: FEMA-2023-0024. Submitting this information makes it 
public; you may wish to read the Privacy and Security Notice on https://www.regulations.gov.
    Commenters are encouraged to identify the specific question or 
questions by number to which they are responding. All submissions 
received must include the agency name and Docket ID, and will be 
posted, without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you 
provide. Comments submitted can be viewed by other commenters and 
interested members of the public. Responses should not include any 
personally identifiable information or confidential commercial 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Williams, Assistant 
Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate, Resilience, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, [email protected] or 202-
212-8007.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On Jan. 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
released the Secretary's 2023 department-wide priorities. FEMA seeks 
this input as part of the DHS 2023 priority to improve management and 
administration of grant programs by simplifying application processes 
and improving customer service, while ensuring greater accessibility 
and equity for under resourced populations. For decades,

[[Page 62099]]

FEMA has provided federal assistance to aid states in building and 
sustaining capabilities to measurably improve the nation's readiness in 
preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to 
terrorist attacks and other hazards. The federal grants process is a 
critical tool for providing funding to a wide range of recipients, 
including state, local, tribal Nations, and territorial governments, 
and nonprofits. However, the process is often seen as complex and 
burdensome, which can discourage some stakeholders from applying for 
grants and limit program effectiveness.
    The 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan \1\ outlines the agency's 
approach to transform how the agency delivers support and enables 
partners to increase their capacity. FEMA must routinely evaluate its 
programs and policies for outcome disparities; in keeping with the 
2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan.
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    \1\ https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_2022-2026-strategic-plan.pdf (Last accessed 6/2/2023).
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II. Maximizing the Value of Public Feedback

    The impacts of federal regulations and policies tend to be widely 
dispersed in society, making members of the public one of the best 
sources of useful information, data and perspectives on the benefits 
and burdens of FEMA's existing programs, regulations, information 
collections and policies. FEMA seeks public feedback relevant to its 
grant preparedness programs to facilitate FEMA's review and 
simplification of its preparedness grant processes.
    The following is meant to assist members of the public in 
formulating comments. This notice contains a list of questions, the 
answers to which will assist FEMA in reviewing, modifying and 
simplifying our preparedness grant processes and improving engagement 
with stakeholders. FEMA encourages public comment and seeks additional 
data commenters believe relevant to agency efforts to improve service 
delivery. FEMA finds the most effective feedback on agency process 
identifies specific programmatic information and policies for 
improvement; identifies specific barriers to participation and/or 
accessibility; offers actionable data; and specifies viable 
alternatives to existing approaches that meet statutory obligations.
    For example, commentary stating that a stakeholder feels strongly 
that FEMA should change the preparedness grant application process, 
without providing specific information on how the proposed change would 
impact the cost, time and efforts of recipients, is less helpful to 
FEMA than specific actionable feedback that provides details on how to 
address identified challenges. FEMA is looking for new and/or specific 
information, data and perspectives to support any proposed changes. 
Commenters should consider these principles as they answer and respond 
to the questions in this notice:
     Specifically identify any administrative burdens, program 
requirements, information collection burdens, waiting time, or 
unnecessary complexity in FEMA's grant processes.
     Identify meaningful and helpful engagements that have 
been, or should be provided to enhance the knowledge and accessibility 
of FEMA's preparedness grant programs.
     Provide specific data that document the costs, burdens and 
benefits of existing requirements to the extent they are available. 
Commenters might also address how FEMA can best obtain and consider 
accurate, objective information and data about the costs, burdens, and 
benefits of existing programs, and whether there are existing sources 
of data that FEMA can use to evaluate its programs on a revolving 
basis.
     Where comments relate to a program's costs or benefits, 
consider providing data or other information about the program to 
ascertain the program's actual impact.
    FEMA will also conduct several listening sessions for public 
commentary during the open comment period. Information will be posted 
on https://www.fema.gov/event/public-comment-period-simplifying-fema-preparedness-grants.

III. FEMA's Preparedness Programs

    In Fiscal Year 2023, preparedness grant programs will provide more 
than two billion dollars in funding to state, local, tribal Nations, 
and territorial governments, as well as transportation authorities, 
nonprofit organizations, and other eligible entities as outlined in the 
funding notice for each program. FEMA preparedness grant programs 
include:
    1. Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG);
    2. Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG);
    3. Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S);
    4. Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP);
    a. State Homeland Security Program (SHSP);
    b. Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI);
    c. Operation Stonegarden (OPSG);
    5. Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP);
    6. Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program (IPR);
    7. Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP);
    8. Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER);
    9. Port Security Grant Program (PSGP);
    10. Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grants Program (RCPGP);
    11. State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP);
    12. Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program (TCGP);
    13. Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP); and
    14. Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP).
    FEMA seeks specific input from the public regarding the outlined 
preparedness grant programs, collection of information, and policies. 
In response, FEMA will work to simplify and streamline its grant 
processes to improve efficiencies and accessibility. For additional 
information on the programs above, please visit https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/about.

IV. Specific Information Requested

    FEMA has divided this request for information into three sections: 
(1) a series of general questions which may be answered as applicable 
to any of FEMA's preparedness grant programs, (2) specific questions 
that solicit more targeted feedback on individual preparedness grant 
programs, and (3) follow up questions from the Request for Information 
concerning equity and climate change that FEMA released in 2021.\2\
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    \2\ See Request for Information on FEMA Programs, Regulations, 
and Policies https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/04/22/2021-08444/request-for-information-on-fema-programs-regulations-and-policies (Last accessed 6/7/2023).
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A. General Inquiry

    1. How would you describe the cadence of FEMA preparedness grant 
programs communication to your stakeholder group?
    [ssquf] How often is too often, and how infrequently is too 
infrequently?
    [ssquf] Do you feel that all information required to apply for a 
grant is discussed?
    [ssquf] Is there anything missing from FEMA's communication on 
grants that would be helpful to have?
    2. What other methods and modes of engagement (e.g., listening 
sessions, online surveys, written inputs) would you like to participate 
in? Does this include regional and/or national engagements hosted by 
FEMA? If so, which ones?

[[Page 62100]]

    3. If you are responsible for managing grant programs from across 
the federal government:
    [ssquf] Do you believe there are opportunities for FEMA to better 
complement and coordinate with other federal grant programs? If so, 
what would you recommend?
    [ssquf] Are there any specific compliance elements with FEMA grants 
that are more or less burdensome than other federal grants? If so, can 
you provide specific examples?
    4. What are your biggest challenges during the application periods? 
Consider the following:
    [ssquf] Timeframe, including the length of the application period, 
how many applications are due at the same time, the time of the year 
the application period opens, etc.;
    [ssquf] Technology including the grant application systems (ND 
Grants, FEMA GO, and Grants Reporting Tool);
    [ssquf] Completing the Biannual Strategy Implementation Report 
(BSIR);
    [ssquf] Forms;
    [ssquf] Knowledge of the program requirements and priorities;
    [ssquf] Internal approvals; or
    [ssquf] Other (please describe).
    5. Compliance vs. Complexity: For the following topics, although 
FEMA must ensure compliance with certain grant requirements, we would 
like to simplify how these requirements are met and seek your feedback 
on how FEMA can make these requirements easier, while still achieving 
compliance. Potential topics for feedback include:
    [ssquf] Reporting requirements, fraud awareness, and fraud 
prevention;
    [ssquf] Record keeping/questioned costs;
    [ssquf] Environmental and historic preservation;
    [ssquf] Other Grant Requirements (Civil Rights, Drug Free 
Workplace, etc.);
    [ssquf] Audits from the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) or 
the Government Accountability Office, (GAO) and FEMA monitoring
    [ssquf] Procurement rules (e.g., the Build American Buy American 
Act (BABAA))
    6. FEMA seeks your feedback on your experiences with monitoring of 
FEMA preparedness grant programs, including:
    [ssquf] If you have received monitoring from FEMA, from whom did 
you receive it (Region or Headquarters)? Was it financial or 
programmatic monitoring or both?
    [ssquf] How would you describe the response time of the feedback 
you received? What did you need to do to prepare for the visit?
    [ssquf] Was the feedback helpful? How was your experience trying to 
close any corrective actions?
    7. Measuring for Results:
    [ssquf] How do you quantify goods and services purchased with grant 
funds?
    [ssquf] How do you collect information at the project level to 
determine its impact on your preparedness capabilities?
    [ssquf] How can FEMA assist in simplifying that process?
    8. What else can FEMA do to help balance the needs of emergency 
management, with other state and urban area grant recipient 
stakeholders such as fire and emergency medical services, public health 
officials, and law enforcement?
    9. Which FEMA preparedness tools or products inform your grant 
investments decisions?
    10. Have you identified areas for improvement in the grant process 
for which FEMA technical assistance or joint technical assistance with 
other jurisdictions could be helpful? If so, what are they?
    11. How can FEMA better consolidate grant training and technical 
assistance to support a unified presentation of all its offerings to 
recipients and sub-recipients?
    12. Are there data reporting elements that your organization 
captures, that you believe would be valuable to share with FEMA and 
would help FEMA articulate how the nation is better prepared and more 
resilient? If so, what are they?
    13. How does your organization capture data on underserved 
communities serviced with preparedness grant resources?

B. Programmatic Questions

(1) Competitive Grant Programs
    1. Regarding FEMA's competitive preparedness grant programs (AFG, 
FP&S, SAFER, IBSGP, NSGP, OPSG, PSGP, RCPGP, TSGP, THSGP):
    a. Are there measures that FEMA could take to increase the number 
of entities that are aware of and apply for our grant programs? What 
are the specific barriers to submitting grant applications?
    2. State Administrative Agencies: For the Emergency Management 
Performance Grant and Homeland Security Grant Program, what measures 
are being taken at the state level to promote equitable sub-awarding of 
federal grant funds? How can FEMA support these measures to make them 
simpler and more effective?
    3. Grant subapplicants and subrecipients: What are your biggest 
challenges during the application process, including FEMA specific 
guidance and timelines and the applicant (State) specific guidance and 
timelines?
(2) Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)
    4. FEMA and DHS have committed to having this year's six National 
Priority Areas (NPAs) remain consistent next year. How has this 
impacted your planning process? As a reminder, the six NPAs are:
    a. Enhancing the protection of soft targets and crowded places;
    b. Enhancing information sharing and intelligence analysis;
    c. Combating domestic violence extremism;
    d. Enhancing cybersecurity;
    e. Enhancing community preparedness and resilience; and
    f. Enhancing election security.
    5. In what ways do the six NPAs accurately or inadequately 
represent the landscape of priorities that are needed to further 
strengthen homeland security?
    6. Five of six NPAs provide minimum spend percentages required for 
both the State and Urban Area portfolios. The minimum spend 
requirements equated to 15% of the total award funds, and FEMA further 
required that an additional 15% be spent across any of the six NPAs for 
both the State and Urban Area portfolios.
    a. Do you believe this approach provides adequate resourcing and 
investments into these priority areas?
    7. Do you have any further recommendations for setting NPAs?
    8. How can FEMA help state, local, tribal, and territorial partners 
better understand or clarify the risk methodology that informs 
allocations for the Homeland Security Grant Program?
    9. In what ways does the risk profile help you understand your 
jurisdiction's relative risk?
    10. How might FEMA improve the risk profile?
    11. What data elements should be the most and least influential in 
the Terrorism Risk Methodology?
    12. Are there any national level datasets that FEMA has not 
included as part of the risk assessment analysis? If so, please 
identify the relevant datasets.
    13. Is there a way for FEMA to provide the public with a better 
understanding of the HSGP's priorities in advance the Notice of Funding 
Opportunity (NOFO)?
    14. What can FEMA and DHS do to strengthen its grant programs to 
better build or sustain state and local capabilities to prevent 
terrorist attacks?
    15. What can FEMA and DHS do to ensure that the Homeland Security 
Grant Programs (HSGP, UASI, OSGP) adequately meet your needs?

[[Page 62101]]

    16. The HSGP is a resource among a limited pool of funding for the 
development of new and sustained capabilities. Given the limited 
funding, how do you prioritize building new capabilities versus 
sustaining existing capabilities? A complete answer would provide 
examples.
    17. The HSGP contains an element of the State Homeland Security 
Program (SHSP) that provides the legislative requirement to subaward at 
least 80% of state funds to local units of government. Do you believe 
this an adequate measure to help ensure that funds are properly 
invested for building capabilities? If not, why not?
    18. What suggestions do you have for proper alignment and balancing 
of SHSP funds to build capabilities?
    19. What can FEMA and DHS do to help ensure law enforcement needs 
are met while also balancing the needs of other state and urban area 
grant recipient stakeholders such as fire and emergency management?
    20. The Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activity (LETPA) 
program imposes a minimum spend requirement on law enforcement 
terrorism prevention. How can FEMA and DHS refine LETPA requirement to 
ensure state and local capabilities to prevent terrorist attacks are 
being supported?
    21. What can FEMA and DHS do to ensure campus law enforcement 
agencies understand how to access the Homeland Security Grant Program 
funding, to include Urban Area Security Initiative funding?
    22. What can FEMA and DHS do to simplify the grant requirements for 
applicants and recipients to enhance the Operation Stonegarden Grant 
Program?
(3) Urban Areas Security Initiative Program
    The Urban Areas Security Initiative Program is subject to the 
evolving and expanding threat landscape. Threats faced by the nation 
have changed dramatically over the last twenty years, becoming more 
dispersed in nature and often carried out by a single individual or 
small groups using very simple tactics. As a result, risk is no longer 
concentrated in the largest urban areas; the risk to smaller urban 
areas has risen, as well.
    23. The Urban Areas Security Initiative Program must address this 
new threat environment, both in terms of eligible urban areas and risk-
based funding allocations. Please provide your input on how this can 
best be accomplished without undermining the progress made over the 
past 20 years in building capacity to prevent, protect, and respond to 
terrorist acts.
(4) Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG)
    24. Do you find the current EMPG work plan template preferable to 
the previous narrative format?
    25. How much does the 50% cost share/match, which requires that the 
federal share applied toward the EMPG Program be no more than 50% of 
the total budget, factor into the State Administrative Agency's ability 
and approach to pass through EMPG funding to subrecipients?

C. 2021 Request for Information Follow Up Questions

    FEMA released an RFI in April 2021 to receive input from the public 
on specific FEMA programs, regulations, collections of information, and 
policies for the agency to consider modifying, streamlining, expanding 
or repealing in light of Executive Order 13985, ``Advancing Racial 
Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal 
Government'', among executive actions. The questions in this 
Simplifying FEMA Preparedness Grants 2023 RFI expands on the 2021 RFI 
feedback, and explores opportunities to identify and redress potential 
inequities in how partners access, apply and receive preparedness grant 
funds.
    The 2021 RFI identified areas for improving the NSGP Investment 
Justification (IJ) process. As another example, one commentator 
suggested that communities that meet the small, impoverished community 
definition could use simpler forms or receive direct assistance from 
FEMA staff or FEMA-hired contractors to prepare the grant application.
    1. What steps can FEMA take to improve the application process for 
our preparedness suite of grant programs?
    2. How can FEMA better engage with underserved communities about 
national preparedness initiatives and grant programs?
    3. Are there entities that are excluded from preparedness grant 
programs that could meet the priorities of one or more programs and 
provide a benefit to their community? Please provide the name of the 
grant program(s), entity type and how they can support a priority of 
the program(s).
    4. How does your organization capture data on underserved 
communities serviced with preparedness grant resources?
    FEMA notes that this notice is issued solely for information and 
program-planning purposes. Responses to this notice do not bind FEMA to 
any further actions related to the response.

Deanne Criswell,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2023-19376 Filed 9-7-23; 8:45 am]
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