Hassan-Backed Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Security Resources for Faith-Based Institutions & Nonprofit Organizations Heads to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan applauded Senate passage last night of bipartisan legislation, which she cosponsored, to codify in law that grant funding for houses of worship and non-profit organizations must be available for small states like New Hampshire, not just major metropolitan areas. The bill now heads to the President’s desk for a signature.

Until last year, only houses of worship and non-profit organizations located in areas that met the definition of a major metropolitan area were eligible to receive federal grant funding to help secure their facilities against a potential terrorist attack. Over the past two years, Congress began the process of dedicating a portion of grant funding for states to distribute to mid-size urban areas or rural areas. Earlier this week, Senator Hassan announced that the portion of funding that New Hampshire communities are eligible to apply for quadrupled from $10 million last year to $40 million this year. However, until now, the dedicated carve out for states like New Hampshire had not been made permanent in law, risking the prospect that this set-aside for states and rural areas could be eliminated in future years.

“This legislation is an important step to help ensure that religious and community organizations in small states like New Hampshire have the resources they need to protect their members, but there is more work to do to keep our communities safe,” Senator Hassan said. “Terrorist threats are not confined just to big cities, and our efforts to prevent and mitigate attacks must not be either.”  

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