U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., announced Wednesday that the state received about $18 million in funding.

A $10 million grant was awarded to help state and local first responders improve public safety communications and coordination during a natural or man-made disaster. The funds will assist public safety agencies to create a uniform communication system for first responders in different jurisdictions.

Kansas Homeland Security is the lead administering agency. As part of the application process, Kansas Homeland Security must create a statewide plan within 30 days that will identify gaps in communication systems in the state and where money should be allocated.

Roberts also announced more than $8.3 million in State Homeland Security funding to be divided among four entities: $4.5 million to the Kansas Homeland Security; $3.2 million for the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program; $516,290 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System and $188,800 to the Citizen Corps Program, which coordinates emergency plans through community and government leaders.

The funds were among $1 billion in grants to cities and states to improve emergency communications. Establishing interoperable communication has been the top security priority of state and local leaders for years.

Also Wednesday , the Homeland Security Department on increased counterterrorism funding for Washington and New York City but warned that doling out more federal cash to the nation’s largest urban areas would require the virtual elimination of aid to mid-size cities such as Minneapolis-St. Paul and Tucson.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged that the funding decisions would renew controversy over whether security grants are effectively transformed into political pork by congressional interference. But his announcement appeared carefully crafted to tamp down criticism that erupted last year when DHS slashed aid by 40 percent to the two areas hit in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In Washington, funding for the District of Columbia and the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs climbed $15 million to $62 million, a figure that is still 25 percent less than the capital region received in 2005.

Local lawmakers applauded the increase but said it still does not reflect the terrorism risk faced by the nation’s capital. Some of the money will be spent to build a secure regional data communications network capable of carrying information such as maps, an effort that received about $5 million last year.

New York City received $134 million, a $10 million increase but still 37 percent below its 2005 peak.