Sponsors (3)
The bill increases predictability, transparency, and multi-year capacity for state and local preparedness funding but does so at the risk of reduced FEMA allocation flexibility, potential burdens on small applicants, delayed reallocation of unused funds, and modest added administrative costs.
State and local governments will receive more predictable and timely Homeland Security Grant Program (and other DHS) funding with at-least-annual award cycles and longer minimum performance periods (54 months), allowing better multi-year planning and more time to complete preparedness and infrastructure projects.
Eligible applicants will have clearer and more consistent application timelines — guaranteed publication of notices within 60 days of appropriations and at least a 30-day application window — increasing transparency and giving applicants more time to prepare stronger proposals.
Congressional homeland security committees will receive advance notification before notices of funding opportunity are issued, improving legislative oversight and transparency over funding priorities.
State and local governments (and some communities) could be disadvantaged if narrowing statutory allocation language limits FEMA's flexibility to consider diverse risk factors when distributing funds, producing less equitable or less risk‑aligned allocations.
Longer minimum periods of performance (54 months) could delay recapture or reallocation of unspent funds, reducing the government's flexibility to respond to emergent needs or reprogram unused dollars in a timely way.
A minimum 30-day application window may still be too short for small jurisdictions or small applicants to assemble complex, multi-jurisdictional proposals, limiting their ability to compete for funds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires more frequent DHS grant awards, sets minimum NOFO publication and application windows, mandates risk-notice timing, and sets a 54-month minimum grant performance period for multiple security grants.
Requires more regular and transparent awarding of several DHS grant programs and sets minimum application windows and longer minimum grant performance periods. The changes apply to homeland security preparedness grants and parallel transit, railroad, over-the-road bus, and port security grant authorities, add notice and risk-timing requirements, and update cross-references and subsection numbering.
Official title: To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and certain other laws relating to certain preparedness, transit, and port security grant programs to improve oversight, transparency, and stakeholder engagement in the administration of such grant programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 9, 2025 by Timothy M. Kennedy · Last progress December 9, 2025