The Public Safety Office (PSO) is soliciting grant applications for local projects that support Operation Lone Star.

The purpose of the program is to enhance interagency border security operations supporting Operation Lone Star including the facilitation of directed actions to deter and interdict criminal activity and detain inmates. Program participants shall assist in the execution of coordinated border security operations to:

Law Enforcement

• Increase the effectiveness and impact of Operation Lone Star.
• Reduce border-related criminal activity in Texas.
• Implement and increase the effectiveness of operational methods, measures, and techniques for outbound/southbound operations.
• Decrease the supply of drugs smuggled into and through Texas from Mexico.
• Disrupt and deter operations of gang and cartel criminal organizations.
• Decrease specifically targeted tactics (such as conveyance methods) for drugs in the Texas border region.
• Decrease use of specific areas for crime as targeted in directed action missions.
• Increase the effectiveness of directed action missions based upon intelligence and analysis to ensure they target the most serious threats and are conducted in high pay-off areas.
• Increase the number and quality of analytical intelligence products developed at the Unified Command and state levels.
• Increase coordination between local and state law enforcement agencies in planning, execution, and analysis of border security operations.

Jail Operations

• Increase capacity for detention operations and other supporting functions associated with increased criminal activity due to surges in illegal migration.

Human Remains Processing

• Support county medical examiner offices in the humane processing of the remains of undocumented migrants.

Court Administration

• Increase capacity and expediency in the case preparation, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials of OLS defendants.
  
  

Fire/EMS Operations

• Increase capacity for fire/EMS operations in direct support of OLS.

State funds for these projects are authorized under the Texas General Appropriations Act, Article I, for Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

• Units of local government; and
• Federally Recognized Native American tribes.
• Eligible applicants must be a county or a municipality located in a county that has issued a disaster declaration relating to border security.
• Preference will be given to eligible applicants within or providing support services to a County that is:
  1. adjacent to or a portion of which are located within 20 miles of an international border;
  2. adjacent to two counties located on an international border with a population of more than 5,000 and less than 7,500 according to the most recent federal decennial census; or
  3. adjacent to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, as defined by Section 51.002, Transportation Code;
• Jurisdictions not physically located within a county described in item 4. above (border county), but applying to provide support services to a jurisdiction that is physically located within a border county must submit a letter of support, memorandum of understanding or other similar documentation from the border county(ies) requesting their supportive services.

Applicants must access the Office of the Governor’s eGrants grant management website at https://eGrants.gov.texas.gov to register and apply for funding. 

Projects must begin on or after 09/01/2023 and may not exceed 08/31/2024.

Minimum: $5,000

Maximum: None

Match Requirement: None

Grantees must comply with standards applicable to this fund source cited in the Texas Grant Management Standards (TxGMS), Federal Uniform Grant Guidance, and all statutes, requirements, and guidelines applicable to this funding.

Funding may be used to provide additional personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, travel, and training in support of Operation Lone Star activities, including for any one or more of the following activities.

Operation Lone Star - Law Enforcement. Activities related to law enforcement operations in support of OLS:

• LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL - OVERTIME
• Overtime for increased patrol, search and rescue, recovery operations, and/or investigative capacity for certified peace officers.
• Overtime for law enforcement support personnel. These costs may include overtime for personnel necessary to support officers that are on patrol and participating in Operation Lone Star, such as Communications Officer/Dispatcher overtime necessary to maintain a safe Officer to Dispatcher ratio.
• Overtime for non-exempt administrative personnel supporting Operation Lone Star.
• Overtime backfill costs for non-border county agencies directly supporting OLS. Agencies must upload a letter of support from the border county for which the non-border county intends to provide law enforcement personnel.

• LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL – REGULAR or STRAIGHT-TIME & TEMPORARY POSITIONS
• Augmentees: Personnel costs for law enforcement personnel who are not regular employees of a funded agency, but are brought on as needed to specifically cover border security operations so that there can be a force multiplier during Operation Lone Star.
• Regular time for law enforcement personnel working border operations. Grant funds must be used to supplement existing funds and not supplant funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose.
• Part-time to Full-Time: Personnel costs for part-time law enforcement personnel to bring them to temporary full-time status.
• Regular time for administrative personnel supporting OLS law enforcement activities.
• Hiring or contracting temporary staff to support OLS law enforcement activities.
• Personnel backfill costs for non-border county agencies directly supporting OLS. Agencies must upload a letter of support from the border county for which the non-border county intends to provide law enforcement personnel.

• LAW ENFORCEMENT - EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
• Costs for equipment, technology, or the rental of equipment, which will benefit the border security mission and will be routinely utilized during Operation Lone Star.

• LAW ENFORCEMENT - SUPPLIES and DIRECT OPERATING EXPENSES
  • General office supplies and program supplies related to OLS law enforcement activities. Operational costs are also allowable, such as vehicle operating costs or costs for minor emergency repairs as described below, or for other services pre-approved by the PSO that are critical to success of the program. Examples include: 
    • The cost of fuel, lubricants, and minor emergency repairs or maintenance for vehicles, and similar equipment used during the hours in which grant-funded staff are working.
    • Only actual expenses supported by invoiced gas, oil, and repair or maintenance receipts may be reimbursed under this grant.
    • Maintenance costs must be prorated to show the usage of vehicles or equipment for regular law enforcement duties as compared to usage while officers are working grant-paid patrols.

• LAW ENFORCEMENT – TRAVEL & TRAINING
  • Travel, per diem, and lodging costs associated with personnel, augmentees, or contractors engaged in OLS activities.

Operation Lone Star - Human Remains Processing. Activities related to the humane processing of the remains of undocumented migrants:

• MEDICAL EXAMINER PERSONNEL – OVERTIME
  • Overtime for OLS death investigations conducted by a medical examiner, deputy examiner, trained technician, or a forensic pathologist as authorized under Article 49.25 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
  • Overtime for non-exempt administrative personnel supporting a County Medical Examiner’s Office.

• MEDICAL EXAMINER PERSONNEL – REGULAR or STRAIGHT-TIME & TEMPORARY POSITIONS
• Regular time for county medical examiner personnel conducting OLS death investigations. Grant funds must be used to supplement existing funds and not supplant funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose.
• Part-time to Full-Time: Personnel costs for part-time county medical examiner personnel to bring them to temporary full-time status.
• Regular time for administrative personnel supporting a County Medical Examiner’s Office.
• Hiring or contracting temporary staff to assist or conduct OLS death investigations.

• MEDICAL EXAMINER - EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
• Costs for equipment, technology, or the rental of equipment related to the processing of OLS death investigations, temporary morgues, and/or additional body storage capacity.

• MEDICAL EXAMINER - SUPPLIES and DIRECT OPERATING EXPENSE
  • Costs for supplies and direct operating expenses related to conducting OLS death investigations.

• MEDICAL EXAMINER – CONTRACTUAL
  • Costs associated with the outsourcing of OLS death investigations, temporary body storage, and other contractual costs incurred by a county medical examiner’s office related to the humane processing of the remains of undocumented migrants.

Operation Lone Star – Jail Operations. Activities related to the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates in local detention facilities.

• JAIL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL – OVERTIME
• Overtime for jailers and support staff related to the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates.
• Overtime for non-exempt administrative personnel supporting a local detention facility.
• Overtime backfill costs for non-border county agencies directly supporting OLS. Agencies must upload a letter of support from the border county for which the non-border county intends to provide jailers.

• JAIL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL - REGULAR or STRAIGHT-TIME & TEMPORARY POSITIONS
  • Augmentees: Personnel costs for jailers who are not regular employees of a funded agency, but are brought on as needed to specifically assist in the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates.
  • Regular time for jailers. Grant funds must be used to supplement existing funds and not supplant funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose.
  • Part-time to Full-Time: Personnel costs for part-time jailers to bring them to temporary full-time status.
  • Regular time for administrative personnel supporting OLS corrections activities.
  • Hiring or contracting temporary jail staff to support OLS corrections activities.
  • Personnel backfill costs for non-border county agencies directly supporting OLS. Agencies must upload a letter of support from the border county for which the non-border county intends to provide jailers.

• JAIL OPERATIONS - EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
  • Costs for equipment, technology, or the rental of equipment related to the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates.

• JAIL OPERATIONS - SUPPLIES and DIRECT OPERATING EXPENSE
  • Costs for office supplies, program supplies, and other direct operating expenses related to the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates; including inmate transportation to court proceedings or state custody.

• JAIL OPERATIONS – CONTRACTUAL
  • Costs associated with outsourcing OLS inmates to other county jail facilities and/or other contractual costs incurred by a county jail facility related to the intake, processing, and holding of OLS inmates.

• JAIL OPERATIONS – CONSTRUCTION
  • Cost associated with constructing, renovating, or repairing a permanent or temporary jail facility to increase bed capacity to hold OLS inmates.

         Note: Construction, renovation, and repair costs may only be funded to the extent that State-supported OLS inmate capacity is unavailable.

• JAIL OPERATIONS – TRAVEL & TRAINING
  • Travel, per diem, and lodging costs associated with jail personnel, augmentees, or contractors engaged in OLS corrections activities.

Operation Lone Star – Court Administration. Activities related to the case preparation, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials of OLS defendants.

• COURT ADMINISTRATION PERSONNEL – OVERTIME
  • Overtime for courtroom staff, court coordinators, and clerks supporting court operations, including but not limited to, case preparation, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials for OLS defendants.

• COURT ADMINISTRATION PERSONNEL - REGULAR or STRAIGHT-TIME & TEMPORARY POSITIONS
  • Regular time for courtroom staff, court coordinators, and clerks. Grant funds must be used to supplement existing funds and not supplant funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose.
  • Part-time to Full-Time: Personnel costs for part-time courtroom staff, court coordinators, and clerks to bring them to temporary full-time status.
  • Hiring or contracting temporary courtroom staff, court coordinators, and clerks to support OLS courts activities.

• COURT ADMINISTRATION - EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
  • Costs for equipment and technology to support court operations, including but not limited to, case preparation, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials for OLS defendants.

• COURT ADMINISTRATION - SUPPLIES and DIRECT OPERATING EXPENSE
  • Costs for office supplies, program supplies, and other direct operating expenses to support court operations, including but not limited to, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials for OLS defendants.

• COURT ADMINISTRATION – CONTRACTUAL
  • Costs associated with contractual costs incurred to support court operations, including but not limited to, magistration, pre/post-adjudication proceedings, and criminal trials for OLS defendants.

Operation Lone Star – Fire/EMS Operations. Activities related to emergency response efforts provided by locally operated Fire/EMS agencies.

• FIRE/EMS OPERATIONS (RESCUE) – OVERTIME
  • Overtime for increased rescue call volume, search and rescue, and/or recovery operations.
  • Overtime for rescue support personnel. These costs may include overtime for personnel necessary to support rescue personnel that are operating on incident scenes and participating in Operation Lone Star, such as telecommunications professional overtime necessary to maintain a safe responder to dispatcher ratio.
  • Overtime for non-exempt administrative personnel supporting Operation Lone Star.

• FIRE/EMS OPERATIONS (RESCUE) – REGULAR or STRAIGHT-TIME & TEMPORARY POSITIONS
  • Part-time to Full-time: Personnel costs for part-time rescue personnel to bring them to temporary full-time status.
  • Hiring or contracting temporary staff to support OLS rescue activities.

• FIRE/EMS OPERATIONS - EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
  • Costs for equipment, technology, or the rental of equipment, which will benefit the border security mission and will be routinely utilized during Operation Lone Star.

• FIRE/EMS OPERATIONS (RESCUE) – SUPPLIES and DIRECT OPERATING EXPENSE
  • General office supplies and program supplies related to OLS rescue activities. Operational costs are also allowable, such as vehicle operating costs or costs for minor emergency repairs as described below, or for other services pre-approved by the PSO that are critical to success of the program. Examples include:
  • Costs associated with fuel, lubricants, and minor emergency repairs or maintenance for vehicles, and similar equipment used during the hours in which grant-funded staff are working.
  • Only actual expenses supported by invoiced gas, oil, and repair or maintenance receipts may be reimbursed under this grant.
  • Maintenance costs must be prorated to show the usage of vehicles or equipment for regular rescue duties as compared to usage while first responders are working grant-funded rescue operations.

• FIRE/EMS OPERATIONS – TRAVEL & TRAINING
  • Travel, per diem, and lodging costs associated with personnel, augmentees, or contractors engaged in OLS activities.

1. Eligible applicants, as applicable, assure to continue and/or renew a local disaster declaration relating to border security for the entirety of the project period. The expiration or dissolution of a local disaster declaration may result in the early termination of the grant agreement.

2. Eligible applicants in a border county, as described in the Eligible Organizations section, must upload a letter from the county attorney expressing their office’s active participation in prosecuting misdemeanor offenses, as appropriate, in support of Operation Lone Star.

3. Eligible applicants performing law enforcement functions must agree to perform the following activities:

• Participate in operational planning and coordination meetings, information/intelligence sharing meetings, and After Action Reviews (AARs) established by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Joint Operations and Intelligence Centers (JOICs).
• Participate weekly on the JOIC Unified Command conference calls or meetings as required by the JOIC.
• Report significant border-related events that occur during each 24-hour period.
• Conduct enhanced law enforcement patrolling activities if funded for those activities through this grant.
• Submit information on incidents using the Border Incident Assessment Report (BIAR).

The grantee shall report all border-related incidents to the appropriate JOIC using the BIAR. BIAR reporting shall include events that occur during Enhanced Operation activities AND events that occur during Steady State activities. Enhanced (Surge) Operations originate out of the use of Lone Star funds when the local agency chooses to increase the hours of patrol or investigations. Steady State activities are defined as normal patrol or investigative duties that do not use grant funds, but directly impact the overall Lone Star mission, such as organized crime arrests, terroristic activities, weapons trafficking arrests, kidnappings, human trafficking, human smuggling, home invasions with a border or organized crime nexus, illegal immigration, border-related murders, gang-related murders, vehicle thefts, or drug trafficking.

The BIAR is the primary incident and information-reporting tool for the grantee in local border security operations. The grantee shall ensure all BIARs conform to the respective standards outlined by the JOIC and are submitted within 24 hours of the end of shift and/or the timeframes established by the JOIC.

4. Coordinate planning and execution of border security and supporting operations with the DPS South Texas or West Texas, if requested by those regions.

5. Applicants performing overtime activities must provide a copy of the local overtime policy as approved by its governing board. This policy will be considered the official policy for grant purposes and must be used throughout the grant period. The policy must:

• Clearly describe how overtime will be calculated;
• Be consistent with the agency’s local overtime policy;
• Treat overtime for grant-paid personnel the same as non-grant paid personnel.

6. Project Overtime (OT) shall be reimbursed following the grantee’s overtime policy and the requirements as stated below:

• OT is time actually worked that exceeds the required number of hours during an employee’s designated work period, as per grantee’s policies and procedures.
• OT must be worked to support border security operations.
• The project OT rate shall be no more than one-and-one-half (1.5) times the employee’s regular pay rate.
• Exempt salaried employees working border security operations may be reimbursed for overtime only if the grantee’s overtime policy specifically allows for this.
• PSO will only reimburse the grantee for OT that does not exceed a total of 16 hours worked (regular plus OT) during any 24-hour period.

1. Local units of governments must comply with the Cybersecurity Training requirements described in Section 772.012 and Section 2054.5191 of the Texas Government Code. Local governments determined to not be in compliance with the cybersecurity requirements required by Section 2054.5191 of the Texas Government Code are ineligible for OOG grant funds until the second anniversary of the date the local government is determined ineligible. Government entities must annually certify their compliance with the training requirements using the Cybersecurity Training Certification for State and Local Governments. A copy of the Training Certification must be uploaded to your eGrants application. For more information or to access available training programs, visit the Texas Department of Information Resources Statewide Cybersecurity Awareness Training page.

2. Entities receiving funds from PSO must be located in a county that has an average of 90% or above on both adult and juvenile dispositions entered into the computerized criminal history database maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as directed in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 66. The disposition completeness percentage is defined as the percentage of arrest charges a county reports to DPS for which a disposition has been subsequently reported and entered into the computerized criminal history system.

Counties applying for grant awards from the Office of the Governor must commit that the county will report at least 90 percent of convictions within five business days to the Criminal Justice Information System at the Department of Public Safety.

3. Eligible applicants operating a law enforcement agency must be current on reporting complete UCR data and the Texas specific reporting mandated by 411.042 TGC, to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for inclusion in the annual Crime in Texas (CIT) publication. To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must have submitted a full twelve months of accurate data to DPS for the most recent calendar year by the deadline(s) established by DPS. Due to the importance of timely reporting, applicants are required to submit complete and accurate UCR data, as well as the Texas-mandated reporting, on a no less than monthly basis and respond promptly to requests from DPS related to the data submitted.

4. Local units of government, including cities, counties and other general purpose political subdivisions, as appropriate, and institutions of higher education that operate a law enforcement agency, must comply with all aspects of the programs and procedures utilized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to: (1) notify DHS of all information requested by DHS related to illegal aliens in Agency’s custody; and (2) detain such illegal aliens in accordance with requests by DHS. Additionally, counties and municipalities may NOT have in effect, purport to have in effect, or make themselves subject to or bound by, any law, rule, policy, or practice (written or unwritten) that would: (1) require or authorize the public disclosure of federal law enforcement information in order to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection fugitives from justice or aliens illegally in the United States; or (2) impede federal officers from exercising authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), § 1226(c), § 1231(a), § 1357(a), § 1366(1), or § 1366(3). Lastly, eligible applicants must comply with all provisions, policies, and penalties found in Chapter 752, Subchapter C of the Texas Government Code.

Each local unit of government, and institution of higher education that operates a law enforcement agency, must download, complete and then upload into eGrants the CEO/Law Enforcement Certifications and Assurances Form certifying compliance with federal and state immigration enforcement requirements. This Form is required for each application submitted to OOG and is active until August 31, 2024 or the end of the grant period, whichever is later.

5. In accordance with Texas Government Code, Section 420.034, any facility or entity that collects evidence for sexual assault or other sex offenses or investigates or prosecutes a sexual assault or other sex offense for which evidence has been collected, must participate in the statewide electronic tracking system developed and implemented by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Visit DPS’s Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking Program website for more information or to set up an account to begin participating.

6. Eligible applicants must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) database and have an UEI (Unique Entity ID) number assigned to its agency (to get registered in the SAM database and request an UEI number, go to https://sam.gov/).

Failure to comply with program eligibility requirements may cause funds to be withheld and/or suspension or termination of grant funds.

Grant funds may not be used to support the unallowable costs listed in the Guide to Grants or any of the following unallowable costs:

1. Inherently religious activities such as prayer, worship, religious instruction, or proselytization;
2. Lobbying;
3. Any portion of the salary of, or any other compensation for, an elected or appointed government official;
4. Vehicles or equipment for government agencies that are for general agency use;
5. Weapons, ammunition, tasers, or explosives;
6. Admission fees or tickets to any amusement park, recreational activity, or sporting event;
7. Promotional gifts;
8. Food, meals, beverages, or other refreshments, except for eligible per diem associated with grant-related travel;
9. Membership dues for individuals;
10. Any expense or service that is readily available at no cost to the grant project;
11. Any use of grant funds to replace (supplant) funds that have been budgeted for the same purpose through non-grant sources;
12. Fundraising;
13. General Salary Stipends;
14. Aircraft (including sUAS, drones, unmanned aerial aircraft);
15. Fire Engines;
16. Ambulances (types 1, 2, & 3); and
17. Any other prohibition imposed by federal, state, or local law.

Application Screening: PSO will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement.

Peer/Merit Review: Applications will be reviewed by PSO staff in consultation with subject matter experts appointed by the PSO Executive Director. Funding decisions will be based on eligibility and operational content, which includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Compliance: Past compliance with grant requirements, reporting, and information sharing.
2. Performance: Impact and effectiveness of the Applicant’s participation in previous border security operations or activities, and effectiveness in using grant funds awarded for border security.
3. Risk:  The Applicant’s need as indicated by data available on border-related criminal activity, population, and other factors.
4. Other Funding: The Applicant’s history of applying for, receiving, and/or effectively utilizing other sources of funding available to support border security activities (e.g. Operation Stonegarden).

Final Decisions: The Office of the Governor will consider rankings along with other factors and make all final funding decisions. Other factors may include reasonableness, cost effectiveness, overall funds availability, geographic distribution, or other relevant factors.

The Office of the Governor may not fund all applications or may only award part of the amount requested. In the event that funding requests exceed available funds, the Office of the Governor may revise projects to address a more limited focus.

For more information, contact the eGrants help desk at eGrants@gov.texas.gov or (512) 463-1919.