Homeland Security Funding Broadens to State and Local Levels

For example, the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act proposes $7.5 billion to increase rail and public transportation security, to be spent during the next five years.

"Contractors should pay attention because legislation often turns into contract awards that they can get from the state," says Suzy Haleen, manager of grant products at Input. "By staying on top of it, companies can get into the project life cycle at an earlier stage than if they wait for a request for proposal to come out."

The legislation doesn't specify what technologies the grants would cover—that won't happen until the grant programs are announced, which of course won't happen until Congress approves the legislation. "It's all proposed at this point—nothing is final," Haleen says. "But, really, the $11 billion is just the beginning. We're seeing an increasing trend in homeland security grant funding over time, with a shift in focus from emergency response and disaster preparedness toward border and port security and identification security."