2021/07/28 Council Agenda Packet

are using FY 2021 JAG funds for emergency communications activities should comply with the SAFECOM Guidance for Emergency Communication Grants (SAFECOM Guidance), including provisions on technical standards that ensure and enhance interoperable communications. The SAFECOM Guidance is an essential resource for entities applying for federal financial assistance for emergency communications projects. It provides general information on eligible activities, technical standards, and other terms and conditions that are common to most federal emergency communications programs. Specifically, the SAFECOM Guidance provides guidance to applicants on: • Recommendations for planning, coordinating, and implementing projects • Emergency communications activities that can be funded through federal grants • Best practices, policies, and technical standards that help to improve interoperability • Resources to help grant recipients comply with technical standards and grant requirements SAFECOM Guidance is recognized as the primary guidance on emergency communications grants by the Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and federal grant program offices. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) updates the document every year in close coordination with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial stakeholders and partners. SAFECOM Guidance is applicable to all federal grants funding emergency communications. The most recent version of the SAFECOM Guidance is available at: https://www.cisa.gov/safecom/fundinq. Additionally, emergency communications projects funded with FY 2021 JAG funds should support the Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan (SCIP) and be coordinated with the full-time statewide interoperability coordinator (SWIC) in the state of the project. As the central coordination point for a state's interoperability effort, the SWIC plays a critical role and can serve as a valuable resource. SWICs are responsible for the implementation of SCIP through coordination and collaboration with the emergency response community. CISA maintains a list of SWICs for each state and territory. Contact ecd@cisa.dhs.g_ov for more information. All communications equipment purchased with FY 2021 JAG Program funding should be identified during the quarterly performance measurement reporting. Further, information -sharing projects funded with FY 2021 JAG funds must comply with DOJ's Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative guidelines, as applicable, in order to promote information sharing and enable interoperability among disparate systems across the justice and public safety communities. Recipients (and subrecipients) must conform to the Global Standards Package (GSP) and all constituent elements, where applicable, as described at https://it.ojp.gov/qsp grantcondition. Recipients (and subrecipients) will be required to document their planned approaches to information sharing, describe their compliance with GSP, and document an appropriate privacy policy that protects shared information or provide detailed justification for why an alternative approach is recommended. DNA Testing of Evidentiary Materials and Uploading DNA Profiles to a Database — If JAG Program funds are to be used for DNA testing of evidentiary materials, any resulting eligible DNA profiles must be uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS, the national DNA database operated by the FBI) by a government DNA lab with access to CODIS. No profiles generated with JAG funding may be entered into any other nongovernmental DNA database without prior written approval from BJA (exceptions include forensic genealogy). For more information about DNA testing as it pertains to JAG, please refer to the JAG FAQs. Entry of Records into State Repositories — As appropriate and to the extent consistent with law, 12