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Senators Introduce Bill to Extend PSIC Grant Program (9/23/09)

Sens. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced legislation to extend the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant program. The PSIC grant program provides nearly $1 billion in funding for state projects that arm public-safety personnel with interoperable communications equipment and the necessary training for system users.

Under current rules, grantees must spend all the money by the end of September 2010. In February, the Commerce Department released a report saying most PSIC grantees have made little progress in implementing their projects and may not be able to meet the deadline for completing them. In August, Commerce Department sent draft legislation to Congress regarding a two-year extension to the PSIC grants.

“It is critical that all first responders have the necessary first-class communications resources to react quickly and effectively to any emergency,” Rockefeller said. “I introduce this bill today to do just that. States should be granted the time and funds necessary to update public-safety communications systems and make certain communities all across America are secure.”

“One of the most important goals of the DTV transition was to boost the interoperable emergency communications for America’s public-safety community; this legislation will help make that possible,” Hutchison said.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International applauded the legislation. "We look forward to continuing to work with them, as well as their colleagues in the House, to secure final passage of this critical extension of spending authority ahead of the current deadline in 2010," said APCO Director of Legislative Affairs Yucel Ors.

APCO officials said they urge Congress to fully fund the follow-on to the one-time PSIC funding, the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP), at its maximum authorization level of $400 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011.

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