Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced $330,000 in grants to fire departments in Georgetown, Joanna, John’s Island, Port Royal, and Woodruff. “Firefighters risk their lives to protect others, and they deserve the best equipment and training available,” said Graham. “Firefighters are some of the heroes in our midst.” The grants were awarded in one of two program areas:

• Operations and Firefighter Safety Program: The funds may be used for training, wellness, and fitness programs; the purchase of firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment; and modifications to fire stations and facilities.
• Fire Prevention Program: The funds may be used for public education, awareness, and fire code enforcement activities; fire inspector certifications; the purchase and installation of smoke alarms and fire suppression systems; wildland fire mitigation; and arson prevention and detection activities.

The grants awarded include: Georgetown Georgetown County will receive a $77,832 Operations and Firefighter Safety Grant. Joanna Joanna Fire Department will receive an $117,283 Operations and Firefighter Safety Grant. John’s Island St. John’s Fire District will receive a $45,000 Fire Prevention Grant. Port Royal Town of Port Royal Fire Department will receive a $36,995 Fire Prevention Grant. Woodruff Woodruff Fire Department will receive a $53,505 Operations and Firefighter Safety Grant. The Assistance to Firefighters grant program awards one-year grants directly to local fire departments, enhancing their ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards in the community. The program supports departments by providing them the tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and their firefighting personnel. Grantees share in the cost of the funded project at a percentage based on the population of their respective jurisdiction. Grantees that serve jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer residents are required to provide a non-Federal cost-share of 10 percent while grantees that serve jurisdictions of over 50,000 provide a 30 percent cost-share. The match must be in cash without the use of in-kind contributions. In addition, the maximum amount of federal funds that an applicant can be awarded is $750,000 during any fiscal year. The grants are made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced North Charleston will receive a $225,000 grant to support the Weed and Seed program. Weed and Seed aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods. The strategy involves a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in ‘weeding out’ criminals who participate in violent crime and drug abuse, attempting to prevent their return to the targeted area; and ‘seeding’ brings human services to the area, encompassing prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization. This is the fourth award for the North Charleston program which serves four neighborhoods in the community. During this project period, program goals include reducing drug and violent crime, improving police relations and cooperation with residents, providing more comprehensive services to residents through local safe havens, and improving the physical condition of the neighborhoods. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. ####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevi Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made the following statement after speaking with the Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England and Second District Congressman Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) about last weeks announcement that Strike Fighter Squadron 82 based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort would be decommissioned. Graham is a member of the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. Senate. He said: “After speaking with Secretary England, I have been assured and am confident the squadron decommissioning will not hurt us during the upcoming BRAC process and the decision has nothing to do with a lack of community support. “This decision is the result of three years of integration between the Navy and Marine Corps resulting in the need for fewer aircraft. The squadron will be the third of five that have been designated for demobilization. I believe the Navy and Marine Corps are making a sound decision by reducing the inventory of aircraft given their integration successes and advancements in technology. “According to Secretary England, Beaufort is a vital and indispensable part of the Navy-Marine Corps tactical aviation capability and they could not be more pleased with the surrounding community.” #####

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-South Carolina) drive to provide better health care benefits to members of the National Guard, Reserves, and their families has finally come to fruition – at least for a few months while Congress continues its work to make the benefit long-term. Graham said the final Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Appropriations bill contains as much as $683 million for the Department of Defense to launch a new program giving reservists and their families access to affordable health care coverage. President Bush signed the bill into law today. Appropriations Committee leaders told Graham and co-author Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) they would provide the rest of the funding later, if the Graham-Daschle amendment is adopted during House-Senate conference committee negotiations on HR4200, the Defense Authorization Bill. “For the first time, Congress will provide health care benefits to members of the National Guard and Reserves regardless of their activation status," said Graham, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Graham is the only Senator to serve in a Guard or Reserve unit. "This is a step forward and I’m appreciative of the work that went into making this happen. However, our fight for better health care for reservists is not finished," said Graham. "The program will be funded in full for at least four months while we continue to work for the necessary congressional authorization and further appropriations.” Members of the guard and reserves will be eligible to enroll in TRICARE for a modest annual premium regardless of their deployment status. Premiums would be about $530/year for individual coverage and $1,860/year for families. When fully phased in the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the provision would assist more than 300,000 reservists and their family members. CBO estimates the costs of the benefit at $5.4 billion over the next 5 years, about one-half of one percent of the entire Department of Defense budget. The Government Accountability Office estimates that 40 percent of the National Guard's junior enlisted personnel and 20 percent of all reservists lack health care coverage. Last year, Graham successfully enacted a one-year program that provided access to TRICARE to members of the Guard and Reserve without employer-based health care. Meanwhile, several recent reports have raised concerns about the declining number of reservists.

• USA Today has reported that the “Army National Guard is having increasing difficulty recruiting soldiers…. Experts say it’s easier for the active-duty Army to recruit because it offers more benefits.”
• The Los Angeles Times has written, “In the corridors of the Pentagon, a major concern is that the tempo of deployments since the Sept. 11 attacks will ultimately take its toll on retention and recruitment…. Thus far, the Army has been able to meet recruiting goals for the active force, but is falling short of its 2004 target numbers for the National Guard.”
• The Washington Post said the Army’s pool of “delayed entry” soldiers has shrunk to its lowest level in three years and quoted a Missouri Congressman who said retention in his state’s National Guard “is sliding downhill very, very fast.”

“We’re calling upon the Guard and Reserve at the same tempo level we did during World War II,” said Graham. “On a percentage basis, it’s even greater. So it’s past time to increase benefits for Guard and Reserve members.” Graham said that in Iraq Guardsman and Reservists have rotated with the active-duty forces, increasing the reserve component share of the total U.S. forces to more than 40 percent. The reserves have also been charged with taking control of the entire peacekeeping mission in the Balkans. But increasing health care benefits is not the only reform Graham wants to see enacted. He has sponsored additional legislation modernizing benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserves. Among the other items on his agenda:

• Adjusting the retirement structure of the Guard and Reserves to more accurately reflect the needs of the troops. For every two years a member serves after twenty years of honorable service, that individual’s eligible retirement age will be reduced by one year. Under current law, the retirement age is 60. Under this legislation, if an individual serves for 22 years, they are eligible for retirement at 59. An individual entering military service at 18 and serving for 36 years could retire at 52.
• Providing tax breaks for employers that make up the difference in civilian pay and reserve pay while members are on active duty. Employers can receive up $25,000 per qualified employee in tax breaks for relieving this disparity.

“Guardsmen and Reservists are citizen-soldiers,” said Graham. “Increasingly they are being called up to duty, taken away from their work and families, and being sent to far-away lands for long tours of duty. We need to ensure the benefits they are receiving are equal to the sacrifice they are making to protect our country and interests around the world.” ####