[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 568 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 568

 To establish a pilot 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

                             March 14, 2011

    Mr. Pryor (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Tester) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a pilot 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 2011''.

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 personnel of the 
        agency has increased by not less than 5 percent as a direct 
        result of 1 or more employees of the agency who are reservists 
        being placed on active duty;
            ``(3) the term `first responder agency'--
                    ``(A) means--
                            ``(i) 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
                            ``(ii) 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
                    ``(B) shall not include a for-profit organization; 
                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) Grants Authorized.--
            ``(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.
            ``(3) Maximum amount.--The total amount of all grants made 
        under this section to an eligible first responder agency in any 
        fiscal year may not exceed $100,000.
            ``(4) Termination of grant authority.--The authority of the 
        Administrator to make a grant under this section shall 
        terminate 3 years after the date of enactment of this section.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--A grant under this section may be used 
        for--
                    ``(A) pay and benefits for an individual hired to 
                replace an employee placed on active duty that are in 
                addition to any pay and benefits that would have been 
                provided to the deployed employee;
                    ``(B) overtime expenses for an employee who 
                performs tasks that would have been performed by an 
                employee placed on active duty; and
                    ``(C) the costs associated with filling a vacancy 
                created by an employee placed on active duty, including 
                costs for advertising, interviewing, performing 
                background investigations, employment training, and 
                hiring bonuses and incentives.
            ``(2) Time period for reimbursable expenses.--An eligible 
        first responder agency that receives a grant under this section 
        may use the grant funds to cover expenses incurred during the 
        period that begins 90 days before the deployment of an employee 
        of the agency and ends on the date on which the employee 
        returns to fully paid employment status.
    ``(d) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each eligible first responder agency 
        desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Administrator at such time, in such manner, and 
        accompanied by such information as the Administrator may 
        reasonably require.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall--
                    ``(A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought; and
                    ``(B) provide documentation that demonstrates that 
                the first responder agency meets the requirements in 
                subsection (a)(2).
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 to carry out this section 
for fiscal years 2012 through 2014.''.
    (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) Offset.--Section 1532(k)(1)(D) of the Implementing 
Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 
1182(k)(1)(D)) is amended by striking ``$25,000,000'' and inserting 
``$20,000,000''.
    (d) 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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