State gets $26 million in general security grants, Jersey City/Newark gets more than $41 million as high-risk area

WASHINGTON, DC – June 16, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) – US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced that New Jersey will receive more than $67 million in homeland security preparedness grants for first responders and safety programs. Included in the total is $26 million in grants for the state and more than $41 million for the Jersey City-Newark area as a region in the top tier of the Urban Area Security Initiative.

Menendez was a champion of legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which included an improvement of the homeland security grant process to a system based more on risk.

“Our nation is facing many challenges, but we can never be distracted from ensuring the safety of our families,” said Menendez. “That is why this funding for New Jersey is so crucial. In our state, we know better than most about the importance of preparedness in areas with concentrated population and critical infrastructure, and this funding helps our first responders achieve that. The overall improvements we have made to the funding process have helped our state receive doses of security funding that are much steadier, more substantial and more proportionate to the security challenges we face.

“The exclusion of Southern New Jersey communities from the Philadelphia’s Urban Area Security Initiative region has been a concern of mine. Philadelphia officials have been cooperating with our state on this issue recently, and I will work to ensure that this cooperation continues so that families in Southern New Jersey communities are properly secure.”

Breakdown of homeland security grants:

•    State Homeland Security Grant Program — $25,547,000

•    Urban Area Security Initiative — $35,298,150 (for Jersey City and Newark)

•    Metropolitan Medical Response System — $642,442 (for Jersey City and Newark)

•    Citizen Corps Program — $357,481

•    Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program — $3,617,000 (for Jersey City and Newark)

•    Urban Areas Security Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program — $1,667,289 (for Jersey City and Newark)