[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3719 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3719

    To establish a grant program for first responder agencies that 
    experience an extraordinary financial burden resulting from the 
                        deployment of employees.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2010

  Mrs. Lincoln (for herself and Mr. Conrad) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                   Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a grant program for first responder agencies that 
    experience an extraordinary financial burden resulting from the 
                        deployment of employees.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening Community Safety Act 
of 2010''.

SEC. 2. FIRST RESPONDER AGENCY GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--Title XX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                     ``Subtitle C--Other Assistance

``SEC. 2041. FIRST RESPONDER AGENCY GRANTS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `active duty' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code;
            ``(2) the term `eligible first responder agency' means a 
        first responder agency for which the cost of operating the 
        first responder agency has increased by not less than 5 percent 
        as a direct result of 1 or more employees of the first 
        responder agency who are reservists being placed on active 
        duty;
            ``(3) the term `first responder agency' means--
                    ``(A) a law enforcement agency or fire service (as 
                defined in section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
                Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203)) of a State or 
                local government; or
                    ``(B) a publicly or privately operated ambulance 
                service that is--
                            ``(i) authorized or licensed by a State to 
                        engage in rescue activity or to provide 
                        emergency medical services; and
                            ``(ii) designated by a State as a 
                        prehospital emergency medical response agency; 
                        and
            ``(4) the term `reservist' means a member of a reserve 
        component of the Armed Forces, as defined in section 10101 of 
        title 10, United States Code.
    ``(b) Authorization.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the 
        Administrator may make a grant to an eligible first responder 
        agency for the additional costs incurred by the eligible first 
        responder agency as a direct result of 1 or more employees of 
        the agency or service who are reservists being placed on active 
        duty.
            ``(2) Limitation for federally funded positions.--The 
        Administrator may not make a grant under this section for costs 
        relating to an employee being placed on active duty if Federal 
        funds are used, in whole or in part, for the pay or benefits of 
        the employee.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--A grant under this section may be used for--
            ``(1) pay and benefits for an individual hired to replace 
        an employee placed on active duty;
            ``(2) overtime expenses for an employee that performs tasks 
        that would have been performed by an employee placed on active 
        duty; and
            ``(3) the cost of equipment, maintenance, or other 
        activities--
                    ``(A) the eligible first responder agency was 
                unable to acquire or perform because of the cost of 
                replacing an employee placed on active duty; or
                    ``(B) the need for which was caused by an employee 
                being placed on active duty.
    ``(d) Period of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be for a 
period of 6 months.''.
    (b) Reporting.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms ``active 
        duty'', ``first responder agency'', and ``reservist'' have the 
        meanings given those terms in section 2041 of the Homeland 
        Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a).
            (2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency shall submit to Congress a report 
        regarding the placing on active duty of employees of first 
        responder agencies that are reservists, including an evaluation 
        of--
                    (A) the effects, including financial effects, of 
                placing the employees on active duty on--
                            (i) the operation of the first responder 
                        agencies; and
                            (ii) the services the first responder 
                        agencies provide to the communities served by 
                        the first responder agencies; and
                    (B) first responder agency grants under section 
                2041 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by 
                subsection (a), including the effect of the grants on--
                            (i) the operation of the first responder 
                        agencies; and
                            (ii) the services the first responder 
                        agencies provide to the communities served by 
                        the first responder agencies.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                     ``Subtitle C--Other Assistance

``Sec. 2041. First responder agency grants.''.
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