Michigan State Police outline services at risk if federal grant reimbursements remain on hold

The Michigan State Police told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that holds on federal reimbursements pose a risk to several safety programs even though, at present, the department has "no specific concern" that funds have been permanently withheld.

Sergeant Travis Fletcher, government relations, Michigan State Police, told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military, Veterans and State Police that the department does not yet see an outright loss of federal funds but that several divisions would be affected if holds continue. "At this moment, we don't have a specific concern of some of those federal funds being, being withheld, but can definitely speak to the potential impacts there," Fletcher said.

Fletcher identified three department areas most exposed to federal funding interruptions: the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, the Office of Highway Safety and Planning, and the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division. He said roughly 211 FTEs are assigned to commercial vehicle enforcement and that about one-third of those positions have salaries supported by federal dollars. "If there were to be an instance where we were not receiving those funds, that division would take a big hit," Fletcher said.

On highway safety, Fletcher said approximately $18 million of the Office of Highway Safety and Planning's operating budget relies on federal funds and that roughly 16 FTEs in that office are federally funded. The office provides safety campaigns and grant-funded overtime programs to local law enforcement, including impaired-driving and seat-belt enforcement.

Fletcher said emergency management grants are the most immediately consequential. He named specific grants affected by the holds: the Homeland Security Grant (HSGP), the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant, Nonprofit Security Grants, the Emergency Management Preparedness Grant (EMPG), state and local cybersecurity grants, emergency operations center grants and the pre-disaster mitigation grant. "For the Emergency Management Preparedness Grant, the EMPGs, they cover the salaries of roughly 80% of our EMHSD division," Fletcher said, adding that those funds also support the state emergency operations center.

Fletcher told senators that about $56,000,000 in previously appropriated federal reimbursements is being held for further review and that the state could be eligible for as much as $300,000,000 in disaster-related reimbursements. "The 56,000,000 is being held right now, for further review," he said. He also warned that federal spending-authority caps could limit how quickly reimbursements, once released, can be distributed.

Senators on the panel asked whether federal officials had contacted the state. Fletcher said his division commander, who serves as the state's deputy director for homeland security, "has been in contact with our regional coordinators at the federal level," and that communications had increased in recent days but that the grants remain on hold while manual reviews continue.

The committee did not take any formal action on the department's testimony. Fletcher and Amanda Baker, identified in the hearing as the department's budget director/CFO, said they would follow up with additional details where needed.