$100 million for Missouri's safety unused

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than $100 million in federal homeland security money for Missouri is sitting idle waiting to be spent.

Gov. Matt Blunt said he asked agencies to report to him by the end of March details on what money they received and how it was spent.

"The goal is better management of homeland security dollars," he said. "It's difficult right now to determine where the funds are."

The state Emergency Management Agency said the funds are accounted for, but they're going unused until local governments request them.

The state was allocated $125 million in federal homeland security money in the 2003 and 2004 budget years.

Blunt said he has identified only $20 million in spending. Among the purchases: 13,000 chemical and biological warfare suits for law enforcement, at $400 each. Blunt said the state doesn't need that many suits.

Data from the state Emergency Management Agency indicates about $27 million has been spent, either by the state or local governments.

Deputy director Jim Wakeman said local governments must spend the money on approved projects, then seek reimbursement from the state.

"A lot of this is just a matter of time," he said, noting as an example that some local governments have faced delays in receiving equipment.

The money does not sit in a Missouri fund until spent. Rather, it remains with the federal government until the state is ready to pay back a local government for a homeland security purchase, Wakeman said.

The state Emergency Management Agency is working to make sure local governments get moving and request the money due them, he said. In all, the state has been allocated $182 million in homeland security funds since 1999, and spent $36.7 million, the agency said.

Among other things, the money is used for equipment and training for law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical workers; establishing teams around the state to respond to terrorist attacks; and reimbursing governments for extra costs when the nation's terror alert level is raised.

Blunt also said the state rescinded a contract that he raised questions about in December, after it was reported that the state's former homeland security director accepted a job with the contractor.

Blunt said the contract for the high-tech homeland security Web site was questionable, and that it would have duplicated what the state already has.