U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Washington, DC 20472 

Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin 
No. 321 
July 09, 2009 


TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads 

All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact 

All Urban Areas Security Initiative Points of Contact 

All State Homeland Security Directors 

All State Emergency Management Agency Directors 

All Tribal Nation Points of Contact 

FROM: W. Ross Ashley, III 

Assistant Administrator 

Grant Programs Directorate 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

SUBJECT: Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) Guidance Clarification 

On June 4, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced $60 million in grant 
awards for the FY09 Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) program. Since the inception of the OPSG 
program, DHS has provided risk based funding opportunities totaling $135 million to support 
State, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies along the Southwest and Northern borders of 
the United States to increase overall border operational readiness. 

OPSG remains focused and committed to supporting State, local and Tribal law enforcement 
agencies in their goals to build capability to prevent, protect against, and respond to all threats 
dealing with border security issues by encouraging local operational objectives which serve as a 
“force multiplier” to enhance National and State Border Security Strategies. 

This bulletin clarifies how the modifications to grant guidance as originally stated in Information 
Bulletin #310 (released on March 24, 2009) apply to the FY 2009 OPSG Program. Clarification 
is also provided regarding personnel costs and the impact of the Personnel Reimbursement for 
Intelligence Cooperation and Enhancement (PRICE) of Homeland Security Act (P. L. 110-412) 
for the OPSG program. 

The following grant guidance modifications, originally announced for FY 2006 and FY 2008 
funds, will also apply to the FY 2009 OPSG program: 

• 
OPSG funds may be used to activate reserve State, local and Tribal law enforcement 
personnel 
• 
OPSG funds may be used to pay current part time law enforcement personnel salary 
bringing them to full time status 
• 
OPSG funds may be used for travel, per-diem and lodging to support up to a six (6) 
month deployment of law enforcement personnel to critical Southwest Border 
locations to support operational activities 
www.fema.gov 


• 
Fuel and/or fuel mileage reimbursement cap for operational activities is removed 
• 
Backfill costs for personnel supporting operational activities are allowable 
• 
County level grantees are encouraged to utilize OPSG funding to support a request to 
the Governor to activate, deploy or redeploy specialized National Guard 
Units/Packages and/or elements of State law enforcement to increase or augment 
specialized/technical law enforcement elements operational activities 
• 
Use of OPSG funds to increase operational, material and technological readiness of 
State, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies continues to be allowable. 
In general, OPSG grant funds may not be used to pay the straight time personnel costs of State, 
local or Tribal jurisdictions regular employees, including law enforcement officers, as this would 
supplant regularly appropriated funds. However, for local jurisdictions that are hiring additional 
temporary law enforcement officers (additional capability), straight time personnel costs are 
allowable. 

The PRICE of Homeland Security Act (P. L. 110-412) established that no more than 50 percent 
of the amount of the award to a grant recipient may be used for personnel costs (which includes, 
but is not limited to: overtime, backfill, and increasing capability by utilizing part-time and/or 
reserve law enforcement to support OPSG operational activities). However, at the request of a 
grant recipient, the FEMA Administrator may waive the 50 percent personnel cap limit. Waiver 
decisions are at the discretion of the FEMA Administrator and will be considered on a case-bycase 
basis. 

A formal FY 2009 OPSG personnel waiver request should: 

• 
Be requested on official letterhead, include a written justification, and be signed by 
the authorized representative of the State Administrative Agency (SAA) 
• 
Include a budget and method of calculation of personnel costs both in percentage of 
the grant award and in total dollar amount 
• 
Include an approved operations order from the Customs and Border Protection/Office 
of Border Patrol (CBP/BP) Sector office which supports the SAA’s written 
justification 
• 
Be forwarded electronically by the SAA to FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate 
(GPD) Program Analyst 
Questions related to this Information Bulletin may be directed to your FEMA Program Analyst 
or the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk at askcsid@dhs.gov or 1-800-368-6498.