Border Enforcement Grants (20.233)

Program

20.233 Border Enforcement Grants

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Transportation

Authorization

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users , Public Law 109-59, 49 U.S.C 31107.

Program Number

20.233

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To ensure motor carriers operating commercial vehicles entering the United States from a foreign country are in compliance with commercial vehicle safety standards and regulations, financial responsibility regulations and registration requirements of the United States, and to ensure drivers of those vehicles are qualified and properly licenses to operate the commercial vehicle.

Types of Assistance

Project Grants (Discretionary)

Uses and Use Restrictions

Assistance is provided to entities and States that share a land border with another country for carrying out border commercial motor vehicle safety programs and related enforcement activities and projects. Grant funds must be expended by September 30, 2010. Assistance is provided to entities and States that share a land border with another country for carrying out border commercial motor vehicle safety programs and related enforcement activities and projects.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Entities and States that share a land border with a foreign country.

Beneficiary Eligibility

General Public.

Credentials/Documentation

Maintenance of expenditure certification by the entity or State that it meets the conditions for grant approval and the State agrees that the total expenditure of the amounts of the State and political subdivisions of the State, exclusive of amounts from the United States, for carrying out border commercial motor vehicle safety programs and related enforcement activities and projects will be maintained at a level at least equal to the average level of that expenditure by the State and political subdivisions of the State for the last 2 State or Federal fiscal years ending before October 1, 2005, whichever the State designates. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

File with FMCSA Division Office an SF-424, SF-424A and SF424B form, a certification that the State meets all eligibility requirements and a State Border Enforcement Plan. The application must be filed electronically through grants.gov. Information on how to register with grants.gov and file an application using grants.gov is available at http://www.grants.gov/Apply. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. File with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)SF-424 and SF424A forms, a certification that the State meets all eligibility requirements, and a State Border Enforcement Plan.

Award Procedure

The amount of the award to a qualifying applicant will be based on a panel review of all applications received, recommendations of the panel, and funding availability. The panel will prioritize funding request based on the State or entity’s performance on previous BEG awards; their ability to expend the awarded funds within the BEG performance year; and, national criteria established by the FMCSA as follows:
•Ensure southern Border States are meeting all Federal requirements to allow access to Mexico-domiciled carriers beyond the border commercial zones,
•Increase the number of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety inspections and commercial driver license(CDL)/operating authority/financial responsibility checks in Border States focusing on international traffic;
•Improve the capability to conduct CMV safety inspection at remote and other sites near the border (The list of eligible items in 49 CFR 350.311, relating to the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP), should be used as a guide.);
•Develop appropriate telecommunication systems and coordination procedures with federal inspection agencies and others (Appropriate telecommunication systems means those that relate directly to the accessing and transfer of CMV safety data and information) including telecommunications systems and other items necessary to implement the International Trade Data Systems (ITDS);
•Other innovative initiatives designed to improve the compliance status of CMVs, drivers, and carriers entering the United States from Canada or Mexico;
•Research initiatives focused on cross-border enforcement and related issues; and
•Targeted inspections of commercial motor vehicles on corridors where there is a significant amount of international traffic.
Applicants will be required to sign a grant agreement.

Deadlines

Nov 09, 2008 to Aug 31, 2009 Applications for a grant must be filed with the FMCSA Division Office by November 1, 2008. If funds remain available after all applications received by November 1, 2008 have been processed, additional applications will be accepted through August 31, 2009, and considered for funding.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 120 to 180 days. 120 days.

Appeals

Applicants will be notified in writing by the Division Administrator if the State or entity’s application was not approved. There is no appeal process as funding is discretionary.

Renewals

Eligible applicants must submit a new grant application to receive additional funding.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.
This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

The amounts made available under the Border Enforcement Grants Program shall remain available for expenditure for the fiscal year in which they are allocated and for the next fiscal year. Amounts not expended by a State during those two fiscal years are available to the Secretary for reallocation. FY 2009 BEG funds must be expended before October 1, 2010. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: lump sum.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

A quarterly activity report is to be filed with the FMCSA Division Office. A program evaluation report is to be filed with the FMCSA Division Office upon completion of the grant program. No cash reports are required. No progress reports are required. No expenditure reports are required. No performance monitoring is required.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Records of all programs activities covered in the State's Border Enforcement Plan must be kept for three years after the grant is closed.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2011: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

69-8158-0-7-401.

Obligations

(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $320,000,000; FY 10 est $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Not Applicable.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

49 CFR 1.48; 49 CFR 350; 49 CFR 350-399; 49 CFR 100-180; 49 CFR 18. Publications available through the Government Printing Office $14-$27 per volume.

Related Programs

20.218 National Motor Carrier Safety

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Division Office of FMCSA as listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Headquarters Office

Carla Vagnini 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington, District of Columbia 20590 Email: carla.vagnini@dot.gov Phone: 202-366-3771

Web Site Address

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2011: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

The applicant must meet the statutory requirements contained in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Uses (Conference Report 109-203). Additionally the State or entity must submit an electronic application (SF 424, SF 424a and SF424b) through grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/Apply) including a Border Enforcement Plan consistent with the national criteria identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and listed above. The Border Enforcement Plan must include the scope, purpose, goals and objectives of the border enforcement program; implementation strategies including projected number of activities to be completed; performance measures; a detailed budget; an evaluation of the previous year’s border enforcement plan including a comparison of projected activities and the actual number completed to date, if applicable; a program monitoring and evaluation plan; and a sample of the quarterly report the applicant will use to submit to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Applications that are missing any of this information will be returned to the applicant for revision and must be resubmitted within 30 days to be considered during the first round of funding. Those received after 30 days will be considered during the second round of funding.