[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 52 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1979-H1991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4847.
{time} 1041
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 4847) to reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and
for other purposes, with Mr. Faleomavaega in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Mitchell) and the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. MITCHELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 4847, the
U.S. Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, a bill I
introduced with the original cosponsor, my good friend from Georgia,
Dr. Gingrey.
Firefighters are often the first to arrive at an emergency scene and
the last to leave. Whether it is putting out a house fire or a wild
fire, or responding to a terrorist attack or car accident, we depend on
firefighters every day. But firefighters also depend on us; they depend
on the public and their elected officials to make sure that they have
the resources, the equipment, and the training they need to do their
job. Without those tools, we put them and all of us at risk.
The U.S. Fire Administration is an invaluable resource for our
Nation's firefighters and the communities they protect. Through
training, data collection, fire education for the public, and support
for fire-related research and development, the USFA provides critical
tools and leadership to the Fire Service.
Fire is one of nature's most destructive forces. In 1973, when USFA
was created, over 6,000 Americans died each year in fires and another
100,000 were injured. Through the leadership of USFA and others, the
number of people killed by fires each year is now between 3,000 and
3,500, with approximately 16,000 people who were injured. We can all be
proud of the significant reduction. However, 3,000 Americans a year is
still too many, especially when so many of these deaths and injuries
are from our most vulnerable populations, children and the elderly.
In addition, the Nation still suffers over $11 billion per year in
direct losses due to fire, and the trend for this number is going up,
not down. With statistics like these, it is clear that fire continues
to be a major problem for the U.S. H.R. 4847 reauthorizes this
important agency for 4 years at funding levels that will enable USFA to
carry out fully its mission.
{time} 1045
At a hearing with the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee held
last fall, we heard the priorities of the Nation's fire service
communities for USFA. This bill directly reflects their priorities.
This bill authorizes the USFA to focus on the pressing challenges of
fighting fires in the wildland-urban interface, and fires involving
hazardous materials, as well as advanced topics of emergency medical
services.
Back home in Arizona, one of the toughest challenges our firefighters
face is wildfires in the wildland-urban interface. This is an important
year for wildfires. We have had a pretty wet winter which means a great
deal of shrubs and bushes have grown at lower elevations. When the
summer months heat up and the vegetation dries out, those shrubs and
bushes will turn into tinder that can start a fast-moving wildfire in
urban areas. Those fires threaten homes and lives. Fighting wildfires
in urban areas requires special training, and I am proud that this
legislation enhances fire administration training for wildland-urban
interface fires.
Firefighters today are called upon to respond to an ever-broader
range of emergencies. This authorization bill gives USFA the authority
to make sure its training program keeps pace with the increasing
challenges to the fire service.
The bill also addresses an important priority of the fire service in
USFA, and that is to update the National Fire Incident Reporting
System, or NFIRS. This system provides important data on fire events to
policymakers at all levels of government. The current system is slow to
report the data to the National Fire Data Center, and does not capture
data on every fire, thus limiting its value to users. H.R. 4847 would
direct USFA to update NFIRS to a real-time reporting, web-based system.
The bill also directs the U.S. Fire Administrator to continue USFA's
leadership in firefighter health and safety. Every year over 100
firefighters die in the line of duty. H.R. 4847 directs USFA to educate
local fire departments about national voluntary consensus standards for
firefighter health and safety, and to encourage local departments to
adopt these standards. This provision will help reduce the tragic loss
of life the fire service suffers each year in line-of-duty deaths by
promoting good practices in a variety of fire emergencies.
I also understand there have been some concerns that this provision
would affect the jurisdiction of NIOSH, the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health. I would like to reassure my colleagues
that it is not my intent for this bill to have any effect on NIOSH or
any other agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.
H.R. 4847 is the product of bipartisan collaboration, and is
supported by major fire service organizations, including the
International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association
of Firefighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, National Fire
Protection Association, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute.
The resources and leadership of the USFA are an essential part of the
ability of the fire service to protect our cities, towns and
communities. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 4847, the U.S. Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008
reauthorizes USFA's activities in training, fire education and
awareness, data collection, research and standards development and
promotion. This legislation also authorizes $291 million in Federal
funds for fiscal years 2009
[[Page H1980]]
through 2012 for the USFA. This authorization level, Mr. Chairman, is
consistent with previously authorized levels and it only includes a
very modest growth in funding that is capped at 3 percent in any of the
fiscal years for the bill.
Mr. Chairman, as the lead Republican sponsor of this legislation, I
am pleased to have worked with my colleague from Arizona, Mr. Mitchell,
over these past few months to bring this bill, H.R. 4847, to the House
floor today.
I am also pleased that this bill has gone through the regular order
process. That is a refreshing phrase, Mr. Chairman, but I am certainly
pleased that it went through regular order. In fact, in October, the
Science Committee's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, of which
I am the ranking member, we held a hearing on reauthorizing USFA, and
H.R. 4847 was unanimously reported out of our subcommittee earlier this
year.
On February 27 of this year, the full committee, the full Science
Committee, reported the bill after accepting both Republican and
Democratic amendments that I think have improved the bill.
The mission of USFA is to limit economic and life loss ``due to fire
and related emergencies, through leadership, advocacy, coordination and
support.''
This organization provides vital assistance in the areas of training,
fire education and awareness, and it awards grants to a number of our
local fire departments across this country. We all have them in every
district of all 435 Members. These activities have made a substantial
impact over the last 30 years.
Mr. Chairman, it is important to note that because of the work of the
USFA, smoke alarms are now standard issue in residences across the
country. Over a million firefighters have received advanced training,
and firefighter equipment and safety continually improves.
USFA should be proud of its record of achievement. However, it is
also clear that certainly there are still improvements that can be
made. In the last 10 years, deaths related to fires have decreased by
approximately 25 percent, from nearly 5,000 in 1996 to 3,675 in 2006.
Although that decrease in fire-related deaths is commendable, the
United States still has one of the highest death rates from fires in
the industrialized world.
Additionally, despite decreases in the numbers of fires, direct
damage costs are increasing and have surpassed $10 billion per year.
The number of fires have gone down, but the damage from them has gone
up to $10 billion per year. In an average year, Mr. Chairman, fires
caused as much damage in the United States as have hurricanes. The
reauthorization of USFA will allow the agency to continue to improve
our preparedness and to reduce our vulnerability to fires.
Unfortunately, last year we saw wildfires that literally ravaged
southern California, and we need to develop a more cohesive way of
combating these fires. I am happy to see that this legislation
specifically addresses the issue of fighting fires in what we refer to
as an urban-wildland interface by implementing methods to better
respond and prepare for fires that move from wildlands to suburban and
indeed urban areas.
Furthermore, Mr. Chairman, I am particularly pleased that this
legislation now includes an amendment that I offered at full committee.
It will allow the USFA administrator to perform studies related to the
management of emergency medical services at the scene of a fire. Our
brave firefighters, men and women, are called upon to extract victims
from car crashes, building fires or collapses, and other emergencies,
so it is critical that patients receive consistent care under medical
direction.
While I do not expect USFA to pursue studies into the medical care
EMS patients should receive, I believe my amendment, which was accepted
by the full Science Committee, will give the administrator the
authority to conduct studies into training, system design, on-scene
patient management while making sure to work with appropriate Federal
agencies and existing medical services in these local communities.
Mr. Chairman, the current bill is an important and well-crafted step
forward for the USFA, and it represents months of diligent work by both
the majority and the minority members and staff of the Science
Committee. I want to make sure to commend the great staff of both the
minority and the majority.
This legislation has been a bipartisan accomplishment of our
committee. That is pretty much standard practice in the Science
Committee, I am proud to say, Mr. Chairman. And it is being supported
not only unanimously by the committee, but by a number of fire related
advocacy groups, including the Congressional Fire Services Institute,
the International Association of Arson Investigators, the International
Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of
Firefighters, the International Fire Service Training Association, the
National Fire Protection Association, the National Volunteer Fire
Council, and the National North American Fire Training Directors.
Mr. Chairman, I could go on, but my staff didn't list any more.
I certainly want to say, Mr. Chairman, this is an outstanding bill
and I urge all my colleagues to support it, H.R. 4847, because this
bill will enable the USFA to continue its record of achievement, as
well as prepare firefighters for the challenges that they will
undoubtedly face in the future.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the chairman of the Science and Technology
Committee.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Mitchell for
yielding to me, and I want to thank him for the introduction of this
important and outstanding piece of legislation.
As my friend Dr. Gingrey said, this is a bipartisan piece of
legislation coming out of what I hope is thought of as a bipartisan
committee. I want to thank him, as well as Mr. Wu, for their work as
the subcommittee chairman and ranking member. I want to thank Mr. Hall
for his help in getting this bill out as the ranking member of the
committee.
We have passed more than 30 bills and resolutions out of the Science
and Technology Committee, all of which have been bipartisan, and all
but one have been unanimous. This is another one of those unanimous
bills. I think that happens because we are working together to try to
do it the right way. We had a good subcommittee hearing. We had a
subcommittee markup, a full committee markup. When you do it that way,
you get the type of third-party endorsements that Dr. Gingrey talked
about.
We have the endorsement of the International Association of Fire
Chiefs, the International Association of Firefighters, the National
Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association, the
International Association of Arson Investigators, the National North
American Training Directors, the International Fire Service Training
Association, and the Congressional Fire Service Institute. That is
quite a lineup to demonstrate the support for this good bill.
I also want to thank the members of the committee for their work as
this bill was crafted. Ms. Richardson was particularly helpful in
bringing her experience of firefighting from a coastal area, and made
us realize that a curriculum in marine and port firefighting was
important.
This is a good bill done the right way, and I thank all parties for
their participation.
Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to place into the Record an
exchange of letters between the Committee on Science and Technology and
the Committee on Homeland Security.
Committee on Homeland Security,
Washington, DC, March 28, 2008.
Hon. Bart Gordon,
Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Gordon: I am writing to you concerning H.R.
4847, the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization
Act of 2007. Though H.R. 4847 implicates the Rule X
jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland Security, I will
not seek a sequential referral of this bill because I share
your interest in assuring that this legislation is brought to
the House floor in an expeditious manner. Agreeing to waive
consideration of the bill should not be construed as the
Committee on Homeland Security waiving its jurisdiction.
Further, the Committee on Homeland Security while forgoing
a sequential referral of
[[Page H1981]]
this bill, reserves the right to seek the appointment of
conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this
or similar legislation. I ask for your commitment to support
any request by the Committee on Homeland Security for the
appointment of conferees on H.R. 4847 or similar legislation.
In addition, I ask that you please include this letter and
a copy of your response acknowledging the Committee on
Homeland Security's jurisdictional interest in this bill and
indicating your support of our agreement in the committee
report on H.R. 4847 and into the Congressional Record during
consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you
for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Bennie G. Thompson,
Chairman.
____
Committee on Science
and Technology,
March 28, 2008.
Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding the
consideration of H.R. 4847, the United States Fire
Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008. I appreciate your
willingness to forgo a sequential referral on this measure so
that it may move expeditiously to the Floor.
While the Committee on Science and Technology has been
given sole jurisdiction over every U.S. Fire Administration
(USFA) bill since the USFA's creation, we recognize that the
Committee on Homeland Security has an interest in H.R. 4847
based on your jurisdiction over functions of the Department
of Homeland Security relating to research and development
(House Rule X(1)(i)(3)(E)). Research, development, and
demonstration programs and projects at the Department of
Homeland Security remain within the shared jurisdiction of
the Committee on Science and Technology due to our
jurisdiction over ``scientific research, development, and
demonstration, and projects, therefor'' (House Rule
X(1)(o)(14)). I acknowledge that by forgoing a sequential
referral, the Committee on Homeland Security does not waive
its jurisdiction. In addition, I will support any request you
may make to have conferees to a conference committee on those
sections of H.R. 4847, or any similar legislation.
The exchange of letters between our two committees will be
inserted in the legislative report on H.R. 4847 and the
Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on
the House floor.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Bart Gordon,
Chairman.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve my time.
{time} 1100
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield 3 minutes to Mr.
Pascrell, the gentleman from New Jersey.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, to all of those on both sides of the
aisle who made it possible for the reauthorization bill to come to the
floor today, I say thank you, and all the services.
The U.S. Fire Administration, through FEMA, provides the leadership,
the coordination, and support services for fire prevention and control,
which is critical. I mean, we still lose 100 firefighters, on average,
every year. That certainly is unacceptable to any of us on this floor.
And we need to work even harder to make sure that our firefighters have
the resources and the wherewithal to do the job we ask them to do.
If you remember the Fire Act we passed before 9/11, this was a
response to the very basic needs of the 32,000 fire departments
throughout the United States and the one million firefighters. That
legislation broke ground because it was a response to needs that we've
neglected. We can't expect that every local community in this country
has the resources to supply and provide the training and the state-of-
the-art equipment to the fire departments throughout America, and so
that Fire Act has been so successful.
There is literally $3.5 billion in applications in the Fire Act, and
a tremendous amount of applications for SAFER every year. And we have
devised, both of us, on both sides of the aisle, probably the best
format of how to judge the competitive applications. We've asked the
firefighters to step up to the plate, judged by their peers. But the
Fire Administration is partner with all of these peer firefighters who
review the applications. In the Fire Act and SAFER bill, this is very
unusual, the money goes directly to the departments so that the States
cannot skim and the local government cannot skim. So, this is a real
competition, and I believe that's how all Federal funds should be used.
That's my own personal opinion.
The Fire Administration has been a true partner for 34 years. The
roles and responsibilities of the fire service have evolved for the 1.1
million men and women in fire and emergency services, over 316,000
career firefighters, almost 317,000, and the 824,000 volunteers.
What I am so thankful for, in terms of the U.S. Fire Administration,
Mr. Chairman, is that the U.S. Fire Administration has brought the
volunteers and the career firefighters together. This is invaluable.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from New Jersey has expired.
Mr. MITCHELL. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman.
Mr. PASCRELL. I cannot express how important this is. All the
competition that existed before 2000, we've gotten out of it, and
thanks to the Fire Administration. They are working together, the
career firefighters and the volunteer firefighters.
This is a very important legislation that is going to save lives. And
isn't this what we're here for, to do what we can on a Federal level,
realizing it's always going to be the local efforts that are going to
be most important. But we have a responsibility, and it seems to me
today, Mr. Chairman, that we're stepping up to the plate.
I want to commend Members on both sides, the good doctor and my good
friend from the Southwest part of the country. This has brought us
together, this legislation, and it is good legislation.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve my time.
Mr. Chairman, may I ask how much time is remaining on both sides?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Arizona, his time remaining is 18
minutes. The gentleman from Georgia, his time remaining is 22 minutes.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield as much time as she
may consume to Ms. Richardson, the gentlelady from California.
Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support today of H.R.
4847, which is the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization
Act.
This reauthorization of this vital legislation demonstrates Congress'
commitment to enhance the protection of our citizens throughout this
great Nation to prevent any harm that might come to loss of life or
property due to devastation caused by fires. Included in this
legislation is an amendment that I offered at a full committee markup
that I'd like to reiterate and clarify at this time.
Inclusive in H.R. 4847 is an amendment that does not create a new
stand-alone course regarding port and marine firefighting. In fact,
much effort was taken by my staff, the Republican side, committee
staff, as well as the various agencies, to ensure that we would take
conscious action in not creating additional costs for the agencies and/
or programs that are right now really not funded to the levels we would
like to see.
The intent of the amendment is to take the unique content of port and
marine firefighting activity and to incorporate that information into
existing classes. Why, you might ask? This Congress' goal of using, in
an efficient manner, resources that we have, we also want to integrate
information to best prepare our firefighters to respond to disasters.
And you might ask the question, why? In the United States alone, we
have over 126 shipping ports, all of which are critical to the movement
of goods and the general health of our economy. The volatility of the
products that are being shipped and the new increased size of these
shipping vessels causes problems to our firefighters in terms of
responding. So, when you consider a district such as mine that borders
along the Port of Long Beach and also the Port of Los Angeles, one of
the things that we learned in the wake of Katrina, we learned in the
San Diego fires, and we also learned with September 11th is that
firefighters are brothers and sisters. You might have rural
firefighters who respond to an urban disaster; likewise, urban
firefighters might be called to respond to a rural disaster.
And so, one of the things that we've learned in these incredible
complex disasters that we've had over the last couple of years is that
inoperability, the
[[Page H1982]]
ability for rural and urban firefighters to have the same information
and to be prepared in the midst of a disaster because it's one thing to
play Monday night quarterback when everything can be planned in
advance, but when we have a disaster, it is too late at that point for
our firefighters to be trained on how do you respond to an extended
vessel, or how do you respond to an LNG disaster, or how do you respond
to anything else that might be occurring. And so, with that, it is my
pleasure to work with, we had great leadership by Mr. Mitchell here in
this effort of the reauthorization bill.
Because we never know what our firefighters might be facing, I,
unfortunately, lost a firefighter in California just last week. So, I
would be remiss at this moment not to thank my colleagues on the other
side of the aisle, Representative Bartlett and Representative
Rohrabacher, for their support of this amendment.
I intend, through conference with staff and the appropriate members
of the Department of Homeland Security, USFA, and the Superintendent of
the Fire Academy to ensure that we have the right curriculum that can
be incorporated that can benefit all firefighters to ultimately protect
our citizens in a better way.
In closing, I want to again commend our colleague, Representative
Mitchell, for his leadership on this issue, and also Chairman Gordon
for his commitment on the Science and Technology Committee to move
beyond all of the limits and the challenges that we have, and to make
sure that Americans are protected every day.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield as much time as he
may consume to Mr. Wu, the gentleman from Oregon. He is the chairman of
the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee. And I want to thank
Chairman Wu for moving this bill so quickly through the subcommittee.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Chairman, first of all, I would like to recognize the leadership
of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Mitchell) for working diligently on
this important piece of legislation, for reaching across the aisle and
working with the gentleman from Georgia, and for his leadership in
shaping this important piece of legislation. In fact, it was, indeed,
through efforts like this that Congress first formed the United States
Fire Administration in 1974 because of then reports that there are over
12,000 deaths each year in this country, and over 300,000 fire
injuries. And through the hard work of the USFA, and others, we have
been fortunate to see that number drop dramatically.
We are now a much safer Nation thanks to improved awareness of fire
safety practices, increased use of smoke detectors and sprinklers, and
other fire safety measures. Still, about 3,000 people die each year of
fires, and 10,000 more are injured. We also still see too many
firefighters die in the line of duty. And I want to recognize Mr.
Pascrell, the gentleman from New Jersey, for his diligent work over
many years to decrease that unconscionable number.
We have a lot more work to do. The USFA supports local fire
departments in a variety of ways. It offers training and career
development to thousands of mid-level firefighters, fire chiefs, and
other emergency management officials.
USFA is a great way for the Federal Government to help coordinate
efforts for local firefighters. USFA also develops fire education and
awareness curriculum material to be used in training citizens across
the country. It aims these messages at groups which suffer the highest
fire casualties, such as the young and the elderly.
While Congress is working to reauthorize and build on this program,
the President, unfortunately, is cutting the budget for USFA. Indeed,
the President's fiscal `09 budget cuts USFA by more than 5 percent.
As firefighters learn to respond to new issues, such as fires and the
wildland-urban interface, terrorist events and harmful materials
incidents, we need to provide sufficient funds to train and prepare
them for these situations.
Firefighters risk their lives every day so that they can protect
ours. Passing this legislation is one way that we can not only show,
but tangibly demonstrate our deep appreciation.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the underlying bill. I again
recognize the leadership of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Mitchell).
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I am pleased to yield to the
ranking member of the full committee, the Science Committee, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall). I yield to him as much time as he
might consume.
Mr. HALL of Texas. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I won't
take all that much time.
I've heard it said that water and fire are wonderful friends and
fearful enemies, and I'm sure that's been said a lot of times today.
And we know the terrible devastation that both of these can bring.
Thousands of people die in the United States every year due to fire,
and many more are injured. The total would be even higher if it weren't
for the dedication and the service of our Nation's fire men and women.
I don't know how you can say enough about our Nation's firefighters.
I would say this: It's kind of a shame that it took a 9/11 for people
to really fully appreciate firefighters and men and women that defend
us and defend our property and our lives. I just think they're
treasures of the country, and it's good for this Congress to honor them
every chance we get. And that's why I'm very pleased that the Committee
on Science and Technology has taken the time to deliberate and produce
a bill that will greatly contribute to the effectiveness of the United
States Fire Administration, and by extension, the local men and women
who serve us so very well.
I'd like to thank the gentlemen from Arizona and Georgia for their
leadership on this bill, as well as the rest of the colleagues on the
committee for their work. And I, of course, urge passage of H.R. 4847
and yield back the balance of my time after once again saying that it's
unusual that it would take some kind of devastation like we had in our
sister State over here to really bring the full appreciation of men and
women who, day and night, face the fires and face protection of our
property and our goods. I'm honored to be a part of recognizing them
and saying to them one more time from the bottom of our hearts, we
thank you, we appreciate what you're doing, and we look forward to the
fact that you're going to be able to continue to do it.
{time} 1115
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield as much time as he
may consume to Mr. Matheson, the gentleman from Utah.
Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Chairman, once again the Science Committee brings
to the House floor a bill that makes sense, that was developed in a
bipartisan way. It's a great tradition of this committee, and I think
Members on both sides of the aisle on that committee know what a great
committee it is to work on.
And I want to thank Congressman Mitchell, in particular, for taking
the lead on this issue, because his approach really fits into the
Science Committee approach about how we look at issues, and we try to
work together in a bipartisan way to make progress. And that's why I'm
happy to stand up and offer my support for this bill today.
In the grand scheme of things, one of the reasons why I think this is
incredibly important is that the United States has one of the highest
fire-related death rates among all industrialized nations. Think about
that. With all the technology we have in this country, all the safety
measures, we still rank so poorly among industrialized nations in terms
of fire-related deaths. And this legislation takes a step in terms of
trying to address that problem.
Now, I come from a western State, the State of Utah; and in the West,
we have particular danger in terms of forest fires. This legislation
fully funds the National Fire Incident Reporting System, which is going
to help the U.S. Fire Administration prevent future forest fires.
Currently, we're only able to capture data from 50 percent of
wildfires, which just is not enough.
By improving the incident reporting system, the U.S. Fire
Administration
[[Page H1983]]
will be able to speed up the reporting data, generating a more
comprehensive database. In practical terms, that's going to mean better
analysis, greater fire prevention, and fewer lives lost.
And, in particular, this bill, if enacted, will expand the program to
include training in wildland-urban interface areas. And this is an
issue that's particularly important in western States where, as
population growth has taken place, there has been greater development
of housing that's moved more into where the forest exists; and that's a
critical problem during these wildfire incidents is how we deal with
fire issues in that very sensitive area.
Most of my congressional district faces this problem, and my
congressional district is not unusual compared to most of the West. I
believe better training in terms of this wildland-urban interface will
be a huge asset to Fire Departments in similar areas.
So Mr. Chairman, I want to again thank you for your leadership on
this issue. I thank Chairman Gordon and ranking member Hall. I thank
Chairman Wu from the subcommittee. I thank Congressman Mitchell for his
leadership. I know Mr. Gingrey's been a leader on this issue as well.
And again, the Science Committee, as usual, comes up with a bill that
makes sense. I'm sure it will be adopted today, and I urge all my
colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, if I might ask my good friend from Arizona
how much time, first of all, does he have left, and does he have
additional speakers.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Arizona, the time remaining for him
is 8 minutes. And the gentleman from Georgia, the balance of time
remaining for him is 20\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you. We have some additional speakers that are on
their way.
Mr. GINGREY. At this point, Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve
the balance of my time. But if the gentleman needs some time from our
side, we will be glad to yield it to him.
Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, we do have a couple more
speakers. They are on their way.
Mr. Chairman, if I may, I appreciate the good words that people have
come and said before this body. We've made significant strides in
reducing fire-related deaths and injuries since Congress first created
this agency in the 1970s. But again, as we've noted, and all the
speakers have noted, there are still more than 3,000 Americans that die
every year from fires, and many more injured. And despite the decreases
in the number of fires, the cost, as we said, is continually rising.
And, in fact, it's roughly the same cost, the damage of fires is
roughly the same cost as caused by hurricanes.
We know that the Fire Service provides critical assistance in
protecting our communities from emergency events. From house fires to
terrorist events to natural disasters, firefighters, as we've noted,
are not only the first on the scene, but many times the last to leave.
As the wildfires in California last fall demonstrated, the Fire
Service plays a vital role in protecting our communities, and that's
why we introduced H.R. 4847, to reauthorize the U.S. Fire
Administration and provide additional resources for our Nation's
firefighters.
The U.S. Fire Administration is an invaluable resource for over 1.3
million firefighters and emergency personnel around the country.
Through training, educational materials, data collection and other
services, the USFA provides tools and leadership to firefighters and
communities that they serve.
H.R. 4847 will reauthorize the USFA, funding its critical work until
the Fiscal Year 2012. This bill will ensure that our firefighters are
trained to handle modern-day challenges facing today's first
responders, including, as we have mentioned before, firefighting in the
wildland-urban interface and responding to hazardous material
incidents.
The bill is supported by, and we've listed a whole list of these
before, all of these national associations that deal with firefighting.
This bill is the product of bipartisan collaboration and had
considerable input from the Fire Service community.
We encourage you to help support firefighters in your district by
ensuring that everyone has the resources they need by supporting this
important legislation.
I would reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I will yield to myself such time as I
might consume.
I was recently in Iraq. I've been a number of times, of course, to
Iraq, and Afghanistan. And also just recently, I saw a news special
back home highlighting one of our great heroes from the Middle East who
was burned severely. His injuries, I think, were the result of an
improvised explosive device, and he was an occupant of one of the up-
armored HUMVEES or the new MRAP vehicles. I think, indeed, it was an
up-armored HUMVEE.
And while he was not injured by shrapnel or a projectile, there was a
fire, and there was a significant fire. And of course, as he was pulled
from the burning vehicle, he sustained severe, severe injuries to his
person from the fire. And he described how he just, he knew what to do.
He rolled, he tried everything in his power. But of course, thanks to
what happened to him at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany, and then
eventually at Walter Reed and Bethesda, he's alive and well and has a
family and children. And this little news clip featured him playing
with his kids. But you could certainly see the ravages that that fire
inflicted upon his body, and the scarring of course. What a brave--I
wish I could remember his name, Mr. Chairman, because it was, talk
about a profile in courage.
But it just made me think about, as we've been discussing here today,
and you talk about what these firefighters do and how important they
are. And actually, as we know, 40 percent of the workload in Operation
Iraqi and Enduring Freedom has been carried by our Guard and Reserve,
many of whom are firefighters who, you know, they've been trained. And
thank God for that. And I'm very hopeful. I want to look into this
further. I'm sure that our military, our regular Army and Marine Corps,
they're all well-trained in that. But that just goes to show you how
important it is, not just to save a life, but try to bring that life
back and so they can rejoin their family and friends in society, go
back to their job.
One of the statistics that I think both Mr. Mitchell and I mentioned
in regard to the fact that the latest year that we had numbers, there
was still something like 37, 3,800 people that lose their lives every
year in fires in this country.
Well, you know what? That's about the number, we're at 4,000 now,
that have lost their lives in this 4\1/2\, 5-year war. And of course
there were practically 3,000 lives lost, many of them from fire, a lot
of them firefighters themselves, on 9/11. So it just brings home the
message that fire is an awful thing. It is an awful thing. It might not
kill you immediately, like one of these high powered projectiles, but
it can certainly destroy one's life.
And so what we're talking about here today is so important, and
that's why this bill is so important.
I just wanted to make those remarks, Mr. Chairman.
I, at this time, don't have additional speakers waiting for time, but
I would like to reserve the balance of my time. And I still make the
offer to yield to the gentleman from Arizona if he needs some more
minutes.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I would, again, like to yield as much
time as he may consume to Mr. Wu, the gentleman from Oregon, who is the
chairman of the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee. I, again, want
to thank him for all the efforts he's put into this bill.
Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, again, I would like to recognize the leadership
of the gentleman from Arizona for working so hard on this important
legislation, this legislation which was developed in regular order in
both subcommittee and full committee.
The gentleman from Georgia, my ranking member, we held hearings last
October at the subcommittee level, and then we had a full committee
markup, and the bill was drafted in full consultation with both
majority and minority members and majority and minority staff.
Much has been made of the work that will be done on the wildland-
urban interface and the fuel loads and the biomass loads there, and the
hazardous
[[Page H1984]]
materials, and that is very, very important.
I also want to draw attention to the sections of the bill that
directs the USFA to educate local fire departments about voluntary
consensus standards for firefighters health and safety. And many fire
groups, especially the National Association of Firefighters, very
strongly believe that adherence to these standards can help reduce the
number of firefighters who die each year in the line of duty.
{time} 1130
This bill has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire
Chiefs, the International Association of Firefighters, the National
Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association, the
International Association of Arson Investigators, the North American
Fire Training Directors, the International Fire Service Training
Association, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute; and I would
like to specifically thank all of the firefighters from home in Oregon
who helped me with this legislation in shaping it and bringing it to
this point on the House floor.
And with that, I would again like to commend the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Mitchell) for his leadership on this important
legislation.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve my time.
Mr. MITCHELL. I would like to yield as much time as he may consume to
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Miller).
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. I will not
consume much.
I do want to applaud the work of the Science and Technology Committee
on reauthorizing this program that has been remarkably effective.
Fire is remarkably destructive, but we have made great strides under
this program. In 1973, there were more than 6,000 Americans who died
each year in fires, another hundred thousand were injured. Largely
because of this program and the training and other support, we are now
about to the point where about 16,000 a year are injured and between
3,000 and 3,500 die each year. That is obviously still too much, but is
remarkable progress.
And among the most dangerous work that anyone can do is fighting
fires. The number of deaths each year among firefighters is a large
number, and even more are injured every year. A great many firefighters
never complete their term of service before qualifying for retirement
because they suffer from disabling injuries.
This bill does provide for additional training for fighting fires,
particularly where wild areas come into contact or where urban areas
and wildland areas meet. It helps training for fires that involve
hazardous materials as well as giving advance training in emergency
medical services. And it does, as Mr. Wu just pointed out a moment ago,
provide for moving towards a voluntary consensus for firefighters'
health and safety.
This will help reduce that number of firefighters who die each year
and who suffer from grievous injuries in doing very courageous work in
protecting us and protecting our property.
Mr. MITCHELL. I would like to yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will remind the gentleman from Arizona he has
1\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I would rise today in
strong support of the underlying bill which reauthorizes one of the
most effective agencies in the Department of Homeland Security. H.R.
4847 provides $70 million annually to the Fire Administration through
2012 to ensure long-term funding stability for this critical agency.
I would like to thank the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Mitchell, and
the chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, Mr. Gordon, for
their leadership on this issue and for working with me to bring this
legislation to the floor today.
Mr. Chairman, the statistics are sobering. Every year, over 100
firefighters die in the line of duty. In 2005, the National Fire
Protection Association reported 3,675 civilian deaths, nearly 18,000
civilian fire injuries, and over $10 billion in direct losses due to
fire. The United States Fire Administration plays a critical leadership
role in leading local fire departments to dramatically reduce these
numbers.
Mr. Chairman, I, along with all of the other speakers who have come
before you in support of this legislation, encourage its passage.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I will continue to reserve.
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, we have no further speakers.
Mr. GINGREY. How much time do we have, Mr. Chairman?
The CHAIRMAN. At this point in time, the gentleman from Arizona's
time has totally expired. The time remaining for the gentleman from
Georgia is 16\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. GINGREY. I would be happy, Mr. Chairman, if the Chair would
allow, to yield up to 5 minutes for the gentleman from Arizona to
close. But I want to make my closing remarks, of course, before that.
The CHAIRMAN. After the gentleman from Georgia concludes his remarks,
he may then yield time to the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. GINGREY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
To close on my side, again, let me just simply say as I did before,
it has been a great pleasure to work with Mr. Mitchell on this bill. It
has been an even greater pleasure to meet with the many firefighters
and fire chiefs who I have consulted with over the past few months: our
own fire chiefs in my county and city, Cobb County, Georgia; Marietta
City, Georgia; Chief Jackie Gibbs, Chief Becky Dillenger. I see them
literally every week in the district and the great work that they do,
and it makes me awfully proud to be up here representing not only them
but the other eight counties in my district. They know that we are
fighting to help them protect us, and that's a comforting feeling.
H.R. 4847 is a very good bill. And this is the least that we, in this
body, can do to support our Nation's fire services. And I want to again
say I hope that we will have as many Members that are present today,
close to 430, I hope, voting ``yes'' for 4847 to support this bill.
At this time, I am prepared to yield as much time as the gentleman
from Arizona needs for the purpose of his closing.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And first, I would like to thank Mr. Gingrey and all of his staff for
the support they've given this important piece of legislation. And it's
the least we can do, here in Congress, to provide the resources
necessary for our first responders to react, the education that's
involved, the training, particularly in areas that are very important,
like in Arizona and California where there is a wildfire/urban
interface.
As I said earlier, we have had a very wet winter in Arizona. It's
good and bad. It brings out the wild flowers; it brings out a lot of
green. But at the same time, in the lower elevations it brings out a
lot of dry tender which just really is very dangerous this time of
year.
So I would like to thank everyone, the staffs on both sides, the
committee chairman, the subcommittee chairman, everyone who dealt with
this particular issue.
And I, again, want to thank all of the firefighters, the professional
people who are involved, who gave us what they felt is necessary to
move this bill forward and to give them the tools that they need.
This piece of legislation will last until 2012. At that time, of
course, we will have more input. Hopefully, we won't have as many
disasters or types of disasters, but there will be new things that we
need to learn and train for.
So I appreciate, again, everyone's efforts in this, and I know that
the people around this country who are protected by these first
responders also appreciate what we are doing for them today.
Thank you.
The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in the
bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the
purpose of amendment under the 5-minute rule an amendment in the nature
of a substitute printed in part A of House Report 110-563. That
amendment in the
[[Page H1985]]
nature of a substitute shall be considered read.
The text of the amendment in the nature of a substitute is as
follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire
Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The loss of life due to fire has dropped significantly
over the last 25 years in the United States. However, the
United States still has one of the highest fire death rates
in the industrialized world. For 2006, the National Fire
Protection Association reported 3,245 civilian fire deaths,
17,925 civilian fire injuries, and $11,307,000,000 in direct
losses due to fire.
(2) Every year, over 100 firefighters die in the line of
duty. The United States Fire Administration should continue
its leadership to help local fire agencies dramatically
reduce these fatalities.
(3) Members of the fire service community should continue
to work together to further the promotion of national
voluntary consensus standards that increase firefighter
safety.
(4) The United States Fire Administration provides crucial
support to the Nation's 30,300 fire departments through
training, data collection, fire awareness and education, and
other activities for improving fire prevention, control, and
suppression technologies.
(5) The collection of data on fire and other emergency
incidents is a vital tool both for policy makers and
emergency responders to identify and develop responses to
emerging hazards. Improving the United States Fire
Administration's data collection capabilities is essential
for accurately tracking and responding to the magnitude and
nature of the Nation's fire problem.
(6) The research and development performed by the Federal
Government and non-government organizations on fire
technologies, techniques, and tools advance the capabilities
of the Nation's fire service to prevent and suppress fires.
(7) The United States Fire Administration is one of the
strongest voices representing the Nation's fire service
within the Federal Government, and, as such, it should have a
prominent place within the Federal Government.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR UNITED STATES
FIRE ADMINISTRATION.
Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding after subparagraph (D) the following new
subparagraphs:
``(E) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
``(F) $72,100,000 for fiscal year 2010;
``(G) $74,263,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
``(H) $76,490,890 for fiscal year 2012.''.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS
AND REPORTS.
(a) Amendments to Fire Academy Training.--Section 7(d)(1)
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``terrorist-caused
national catastrophes'' and inserting ``national
catastrophes'';
(2) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``forest'' and
inserting ``wildland'';
(3) in subparagraph (M), by striking ``response tactics
and'' and inserting ``response, tactics, and'';
(4) by redesignating subparagraphs (I) through (N) as
subparagraphs (M) through (R), respectively; and
(5) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following new
subparagraphs:
``(I) response, tactics, and strategies for fighting large-
scale fires or multiple fires in a general area that cross
jurisdictional boundaries;
``(J) response, tactics, and strategies for fighting fires
occurring at the wildland-urban interface;
``(K) response, tactics, and strategies for fighting fires
involving hazardous materials;
``(L) advanced emergency medical services training;''.
(b) Triennial Reports.--Section 7 of such Act (15 U.S.C.
2206) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(m) Triennial Report.--In the first annual report filed
pursuant to section 16 for which the deadline for filing is
after the expiration of the 18-month period that begins on
the date of the enactment of the United States Fire
Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, and in every
third annual report thereafter, the Administrator shall
include information about changes made to the Academy
curriculum, including--
``(1) the basis for such changes, including a review of the
incorporation of lessons learned by emergency response
personnel after significant emergency events and emergency
preparedness exercises performed under the National Exercise
Program; and
``(2) the desired training outcome of all such changes.''.
(c) Authorizing the Administrator to Enter Into Contracts
to Provide On-Site Training Through Certain Accredited
Organizations.--Section 7(f) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2206(f))
is amended to read as follows:
``(f) Assistance.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator is authorized to
provide assistance to State and local fire service training
programs through grants, contracts, or otherwise.
``(2) Authorization to enter into contracts to provide on-
site training through certain accredited organizations.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator is authorized to enter
into a contract with one or more nationally recognized
organizations that have established on-site training programs
that prepare fire service personnel to meet national
voluntary consensus standards for fire service personnel and
that facilitate the delivery of the education and training
programs outlined in subsection (d)(1) directly to fire
service personnel.
``(B) Restrictions.--The Administrator shall not enter into
a contract with such organization unless such organization--
``(i) provides training that leads to certification by a
program accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation
organization; or
``(ii) at the time the Administrator enters into the
contract, provides training under such a program under a
cooperative agreement with a Federal agency.
``(3) Restriction on use of funds.--The amounts expended by
the Administrator to carry out this subsection in any fiscal
year shall not exceed 4 percent of the amount authorized to
be appropriated in such fiscal year pursuant to section 17 of
this Act.''.
(d) Incident Command Training Course for Fires at Ports
Required.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States
Fire Administration, in consultation with the Superintendent
of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control,
shall consolidate and integrate into the current Academy
curriculum a course on incident command training for fire
service personnel for fighting fires at United States ports
and in marine environments, including fires on the water and
aboard vessels. Such course shall not relate to border and
port security.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL FIRE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM UPGRADES.
(a) Incident Reporting System Database.--Section 9 of the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C.
2208) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(d) National Fire Incident Reporting System Update.--Of
the amounts made available pursuant to subparagraphs (E),
(F), and (G) of section 17(g)(1), the Administrator shall use
no more than an aggregate amount of $5,000,000 during the 3-
year period consisting of fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011
to carry out activities necessary to update the National Fire
Incident Reporting system to an Internet-based, real-time
incident reporting database, including capital investment,
contractor engagement, and user education.''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Section 9(b)(2) of such Act (15
U.S.C. 2208(b)(2)) is amended by striking ``assist State,''
and inserting ``assist Federal, State,''.
SEC. 6. FIRE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION.
(a) Assistance to Fire Services for Fire Prevention and
Control in Wildland-Urban Interface.--Section 8(d) of the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C.
2207(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``Rural Assistance'' in the heading and
inserting ``Rural and Wildland-Urban Interface Assistance'';
(2) by striking ``The Administrator'' and inserting ``(1)
The Administrator''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) The Administrator is authorized to assist the
Nation's fire services, directly or through contracts,
grants, or other forms of assistance, for activities and
equipment to improve fire prevention and control in the
wildland-urban interface.''.
(b) Dissemination.--Section 8 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2207)
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h) Dissemination.--Beginning 1 year after the date of
the enactment of the United States Fire Administration
Reauthorization Act of 2008, the Administrator, in
collaboration with the relevant departments and agencies of
the Federal Government, shall make available to the public
information regarding United States Fire Administration
funded activities to advance new knowledge and best practices
in firefighting, through a regularly updated Internet
database.''.
SEC. 7. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR FIREFIGHTER
HEALTH AND SAFETY.
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``SEC. 37. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR FIREFIGHTER
HEALTH AND SAFETY.
``The Administrator shall promote adoption by fire services
of national voluntary consensus standards for firefighter
health and safety, including such standards for firefighter
operations, training, staffing, and fitness, by educating
fire services about such standards, encouraging the adoption
at all levels of government of such standards, and making
recommendations on other ways in which the Federal government
can promote the adoption of such standards by fire
services.''.
[[Page H1986]]
SEC. 8. COORDINATION REGARDING FIRE SERVICE-BASED EMERGENCY
MEDICAL SERVICES.
(a) In General.--Section 21(e) of the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2218(e)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(e) Coordination.--
``(1) In general.--To the extent practicable, the
Administrator shall utilize existing programs, data,
information, and facilities already available in other
Federal Government departments and agencies and, where
appropriate, existing research organizations, centers, and
universities.
``(2) Coordination of fire prevention and control
programs.--The Administrator shall provide liaison at an
appropriate organizational level to assure coordination of
the Administrator's activities with State and local
government agencies, departments, bureaus, or offices
concerned with any matter related to programs of fire
prevention and control with private and other Federal
organizations and offices so concerned.
``(3) Coordination of fire service-based emergency medical
services programs.--The Administrator shall provide liaison
at an appropriate organizational level to assure coordination
of the Administrator's activities with State and local
government agencies, departments, bureaus, or offices
concerned with programs related to emergency medical services
provided by fire service-based systems with private and other
Federal organizations and offices so concerned.''.
(b) Fire Service-Based Emergency Medical Services Best
Practices.--Section 8(c) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2207(c)) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as
paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new
paragraph:
``(2) The Administrator is authorized to conduct, directly
or through contracts or grants, studies of the operations and
management aspects of fire service-based emergency medical
services and coordination between emergency medical services
and fire services. Such studies may include the optimum
protocols for on-scene care, the allocation of resources, and
the training requirements for fire service-based emergency
medical services.''.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
Section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Administration'' and
inserting ``Administration, who is the Assistant
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency'';
(2) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(3) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and'';
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as
paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively;
(5) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new
paragraph:
``(6) `hazardous materials' has the meaning given such term
in section 5102(2) of title 49, United States Code;''; and
(6) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(10) `wildland-urban interface' has the meaning given
such term in section 101(16) of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511(16)).''.
The CHAIRMAN. No amendment to that amendment shall be in order except
those printed in part B of the report. Each amendment may be offered
only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a
Member designated in the report, shall be considered read, debatable
for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by
the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and
shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Pascrell
The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed
in part B of House Report 110-563.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Part B amendment No. 1 offered by Mr. Pascrell:
Page 3, strike lines 23 through 25 and insert the following
new paragraph:
(1) by amending subparagraph (H) to read as follows:
``(H) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing with
national catastrophes, including terrorist-caused national
catastrophes and incidents that involve weapons of mass
destruction;'';
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, in the reauthorization act of 2008, this amendment
provides that the National Fire Academy training program could train
fire service personnel in response tactics and strategies for dealing
with natural catastrophes, including terrorist-caused national
catastrophes and incidents that involve weapons of mass destruction.
I want to thank the cosponsor of the underlying bill, Representative
Harry Mitchell from Arizona, for presenting a very strong piece of
legislation that will reauthorize the United States Fire Administration
for another 5 years.
I also want to thank the chairman of the Science Committee,
Congressman Gordon, for his leadership in considering all of the
necessary elements of this legislation with the end result being a
strong, comprehensive bill.
The underlying bill would authorize $293 million through fiscal year
2012 for the U.S. Fire Administration, which is a vital agency charged
with reducing debt and economic losses because of fire emergencies. I
want to make clear that this is a small price to pay when considering
the thousands of lives we lose each year to fire emergencies and the
billions of dollars we spend to fight them.
Throughout my years in Congress, I have always been passionate for
funding our Nation's fire departments and firefighters, the Fire and
Safety grants that this Congress has provided in the funds supplied
through this reauthorization. I feel especially strong about this
reauthorization because it also includes provisions that help guide the
fire academy on how to best train our Nation's firefighters for the
added and the increased challenges they face every day. My amendment
addresses this issue by simply updating the training program at the
National Fire Academy to include national catastrophes related to
terrorism.
We saw on 9/11 our Nation's heroic firefighters were among the first
responders on the scene trying desperately to rescue as many people as
possible in that horrific act of terror. Clearly, we all understand
that the responsibilities of our Nation's firefighters became greater
on that day as they now have to train for emergency response to
catastrophic terrorist attacks, including the foreboding threats of
incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. Many of these types of
courses already exist at the fire academy, but the future of these
critical courses for these firefighters should never be put in doubt
and need to be codified.
My amendment simply puts these practices into law and sends a message
to the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Fire Administration
that this issue continues to be important to the Congress and the
protection of our constituents.
I thank the sponsor, Mr. Mitchell, the chairman, Mr. Gordon, once
again for all of their work.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time under the rule
but I am in support of the gentleman's amendment, not in opposition to
it.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Georgia is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
{time} 1145
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, the men and women of our Nation's fire
services are among the very first responders to an extraordinary wide
range of accidents, injuries, and disasters. And the gentleman from New
Jersey, he knows as well as anybody in this body. He was right there.
His district's right there, very close to the scene of 9/11. And I
think that his amendment is very, very appropriate because this was a
fire caused by a terrorist attack. Unlike the Murrah Building attack at
Oklahoma City, which was an incidence of domestic violence by our own,
if you will, homegrown terrorists, this situation that occurred on 9/11
is the reason why I'm sure the gentleman from New Jersey has brought
forth this good amendment. And he is so right to point out that
firefighters will also be the first to the scene when many of these
catastrophes happen.
Hopefully, it won't occur in this country again. We've been blessed.
I think there has been a lot of hard work on the part of this Congress
and this administration to protect our country on our soil from another
terrorist attack. Thank God so far it hasn't happened. But that doesn't
mean you don't
[[Page H1987]]
train for and prepare for it. And those firefighters that went to work
that day, they were well trained, but I'm sure they weren't expecting a
terrorist attack. And in such an event like that, their first job, of
course, always is to heroically save lives. But fire services will also
act to minimize the damage and property loss that a terrorist strike or
ensuing events may cause. I mean, as the amendment addresses, there may
be biological weapons of mass destruction, and there could have been,
right behind the two planes, maybe another plane with a terrorist
coming into the city in parachutes with nuclear or biological weapons,
a sarin gas attack. God knows what could have happened in the subways
of New York City. So the United States Fire Administration works hand-
in-glove with other components of the Department of Homeland Security,
and Chairman Thompson is here on the floor right now, to ensure that
our Nation's fire services have access to the best training and
resources available.
So I'm proud of the U.S. Fire Administration's work to date to
improve our resiliency and our preparedness, yes, for terrorist events,
natural disasters, and, of course, the daily accidents and fires that
occur in communities across the country.
Mr. Chairman, I wholeheartedly support the gentleman's amendment. I
urge all my colleagues and expect all my colleagues to support his
amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will remind the gentleman from New Jersey
that he has 2 minutes remaining.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my friend from
Georgia.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Mitchell).
Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, I also want to say thank you to Mr.
Gingrey for his support of this amendment, which we know will make this
a much stronger bill and a better bill.
So I thank you very much for the amendment and all the support that
it's receiving.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, it now gives me a tremendous sense of
honor to introduce also the gentleman from Mississippi, my good friend,
who is also the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. No one, no
one has worked harder to bring all of the agencies together in this
effort to protect our country and to protect our families and our
neighborhoods.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield the balance of my time to
Chairman Thompson.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of
the amendment offered by my good friend, a member of the Committee on
Homeland Security, Mr. Pascrell. The gentleman from Paterson, New
Jersey, is a leader on the committee and in Congress on first responder
issues.
As a former volunteer firefighter and graduate of the Mississippi
Fire Academy, I understand that many firefighters are unable to travel
to the National Fire Academy's campus in Maryland to partake in
training. The Fire Academy recognizes this need. By harnessing
technology, the Fire Academy partners with existing local and State
training academies to reach more first responders.
The Pascrell amendment addresses one key area of training: terrorism
response training. Specifically, the amendment seeks to ensure that
fire service personnel get training on response tactics and strategies
for dealing with ``terrorist-caused national catastrophes and incidents
that involve weapons of mass destruction.'' Such incidents can be very
complex and require response from many public safety agencies across
multiple jurisdictions.
Today, the Fire Academy has a terrorism curriculum in place. The
Pascrell amendment will ensure this continuation.
It has been nearly 7 years since the attacks of 9/11, and,
thankfully, we have not been attacked since. However, Mr. Chairman, the
threat is still very real. As Members of Congress, it's our collective
responsibility to ensure that responders in our communities are fully
trained, equipped, and staffed to answer the question call.
Once again, I encourage my colleagues to support the Pascrell
amendment as well as the underlying bill.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Sali
The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed
in part B of House Report 110-563.
Mr. SALI. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Part B amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. Sali:
Page 9, line 24, strike ``section'' and insert
``sections''.
Page 10, after line 11, insert the following:
``SEC. 38. TRAINING AGENCIES ON IMPORTANCE OF CLEARING
BIOMASS IN WILDLAND AREAS TO PROMOTE
FIREFIGHTER SAFETY.
``In collaboration with the relevant departments and
agencies of the Federal Government, the Administrator shall
develop and provide information and training to relevant
departments and agencies of the Federal Government on the
importance of clearing biomass in wildland areas of Federal
lands to promote the safety of firefighters.''.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman from
Idaho (Mr. Sali) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Idaho.
Mr. SALI. Mr. Chairman, firefighting is a high-risk, high-consequence
activity, and the agencies that are involved in managing wildland-urban
interface have always had strong firefighter safety and training
programs. Firefighter safety is their highest priority. In fact, the
1995 Federal Fire Policy sets the order of priorities for wildland
firefighters as, number one, public and firefighter safety; number two,
protection of resources; number three, protection of property.
The safety, health, and welfare of firefighters and the general
public are becoming increasingly linked to the decline in the health of
forested ecosystems. The most effective means of reducing burgeoning
fire suppression costs, protecting community values, restoring forest
and grassland health, and improving firefighter safety is an aggressive
fuel treatment program. How land managers apply the fuels reduction
program will have the greatest impact on the safety of wildland
firefighters.
Threats to human life are compounded by the fact that more and more
people are living in homes near fire-prone forests, placing themselves
and the firefighters who try to protect them at greater risk.
My amendment allows the Administrator of the United States Fire
Administration to develop and distribute information on the importance
of clearing biomass from Federal lands. This commonsense amendment
requires USFA to work in consultation with other Federal agencies such
as the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM to ensure that USFA provides the
best possible recommendation. As we come upon what many are predicting
to be another deadly and costly fire season, this information will be
as vital as ever. We must provide our Federal employees, who are the
best in the world, all the tools they need to keep our communities and
themselves safe from catastrophic wildfires.
The Federal hazardous fuels reduction program can be a very good
thing for wildfire fighters. If it is done properly, the program can
reduce the most extreme of the hazardous fuels and make the working
environment for wildland firefighters much safer.
The Federal Government has invested millions of dollars in a
hazardous fuels reduction program to mitigate the risks, costs, and
consequences of wildfire across millions of acres of publicly owned
wildlands. The knowledge gained as to relative effectiveness of
different types of treatments and the overall effectiveness of those
treatments will have much greater value for protecting and promoting
firefighter safety when that information is shared. The United States
Fire Administration should be an important vehicle for disseminating
this information, and this amendment will help to make that a reality.
Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
[[Page H1988]]
Mr. SALI. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Do I understand the gentleman's amendment is designed specifically to
increase firefighter safety within the wildland-urban interface?
Mr. SALI. The gentleman is correct.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman. Do I further understand that the
gentleman's amendment does not intend to expand the clearing of biomass
beyond current force management practices outside of the wildland-urban
interface?
Mr. SALI. Mr. Chairman, this is intended to promote sharing of
information. It doesn't have anything actually to do with the actual
clearing of the biomass. It just deals with the information that's
gained, and it would be in the wildland-urban interface for the results
of that fuels treatment.
Mr. WU. If the gentleman would yield.
Mr. SALI. I yield.
Mr. WU. So all that information or other things to be done would be
focused on the wildland-urban interface?
Mr. SALI. That's the purpose of this amendment too.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman.
And if the gentleman would further yield, the language that has been
traditionally used, it refers to ``fuel load,'' and the gentleman's
amendment, I believe, sometimes uses ``biomass,'' and the gentleman has
sometimes referred to fuel load.
Is the gentleman using ``biomass'' in this sense, in the traditional
sense that ``fuel load'' has been used in similar legislation?
Mr. SALI. I believe that that is correct.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. SALI. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman's time has expired.
Does any Member seek time in opposition to the proposed amendment?
Mr. MITCHELL. Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Arizona is recognized for 5 minutes.
{time} 1200
Mr. MITCHELL. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Gingrey).
Mr. GINGREY. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and the
generosity of his time.
Mr. Chairman, in this decade, wildland fires have consumed 50 million
acres in this country. While the term ``wildland fires'' brings to mind
uninhabited areas in our Nation's parks, forests, and rural areas,
wildland fires have done tremendous damage to urban and suburban
development as well. I think that was the reason for the colloquy
between Mr. Wu from Oregon and Mr. Sali from Idaho.
Last fall, western States were hit particularly hard by wildland
fires that encroached into developed areas and destroyed homes,
businesses, and livelihoods. The amendment offered by the gentleman
from Idaho addresses that concern. The amendment allows the
Administrator of the USFA to distribute information on the importance
of clearing in these areas biomass materials from Federal lands, not
out in the interior of a National Park. That was a point that was made
in the colloquy.
The amendment requires USFA to work in consultation, of course, with
other Federal agencies to ensure that USFA provides the best possible
recommendations. Removing hazardous fuels, biomass materials, from
Federal forests and lands will help to prevent, and more importantly,
to limit these forest fires as they begin to encroach on urban areas.
So if you leave these materials susceptible to forest fires, the
consequences, as Mr. Sali pointed out, can be disastrous.
So, Mr. Chairman, I support wholeheartedly his amendment and urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. MITCHELL. I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Sali).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Langevin
The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed
in part B of House Report 110-563.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Part B amendment No. 3 offered by Mr. Langevin:
At the end of the bill, add the following new section:
SEC. 10. SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF FIRE SPRINKLERS.
Congress supports the recommendations of the United States
Fire Administration regarding the adoption of fire sprinklers
in commercial buildings and educational programs to raise
awareness of the importance of installing fire sprinklers in
residential buildings.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1071, the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Rhode Island.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to introduce an amendment that
highlights the critical importance of deploying fire sprinklers in all
commercial buildings. My amendment encourages the installation of fire
sprinklers in commercial buildings and supports educational programs
about installing them in residential buildings as well.
Five years ago, a tragedy struck in my home State of Rhode Island
when a fire tore through the Station Nightclub in West Warwick. It was
certainly a terrible awakening for all of us about the importance of
fire safety. That fire, which killed 100 people and injured 200 more,
could have been prevented, Mr. Chairman, if fire sprinklers had been
installed throughout the building. Almost every Rhode Islander knows
someone whose life was changed forever by that terrible night, and we
all learned a very hard lesson on the importance of installing fire
protection equipment in our homes, workplaces, our schools, and
recreational buildings. I hope that with a renewed focus on installing
fire sprinklers and other safety devices, that we can prevent a tragedy
like the one in West Warwick from ever occurring again.
There is no question that fire sprinklers save lives. In fact, the
National Fire Protection Association has no record of a fire killing
more than two people in a public building equipped with a fully
operational automatic fire sprinkler system.
So, to this end I have introduced a piece of legislation called the
Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, H.R. 1742, which would amend the Internal
Revenue Code to provide an incentive to business owners for
retrofitting existing buildings with lifesaving sprinklers. This
legislation, which right now has 114 cosponsors, will reduce the tax
depreciation time for retrofitting sprinklers in nonresidential real
property from 39 years down to only 5. So a significant time reduction.
Again, from 39 years down to only 5 years for this tax depreciation to
take advantage of the retrofitting of sprinklers.
While it's clear that fire sprinklers save lives, Congress has to
date not taken a position on the importance of this important
technology. So I believe that it is critical that we lend our voice to
this issue and hopefully save another community from ever experiencing
the devastating losses that West Warwick did.
So while we may not always be able to prevent fires from occurring,
we certainly can minimize the damage they cause and the lives that they
take. My amendment that I am offering today is a sense of Congress, and
takes us one step closer toward that goal.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I strongly support reauthorizing the United
States Fire Administration, and I would like to commend Chairman Gordon
for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. This bill will
allow the U.S. Fire Administration to continue to provide support
services for fire prevention, firefighter training and education, and
emergency medical services activities. I urge my colleagues to support
my amendment as well, H.R. 4847.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition.
However, we are very supportive of the gentleman's amendment, and I
yield myself such time as I may consume.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Georgia is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
[[Page H1989]]
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, millions of United States houses today
contain smoke alarms. They have been credited with saving thousands of
lives. Yet, smoke alarms can only warn the occupants of a fire. They
cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Fire sprinkler systems provide the
means to limit fire growth and therefore save lives and property. We
already mentioned $10 billion a year, I think, in property damage,
3,600 lives lost every year.
Studies by the USFA have shown that the installation of residential
fire sprinkler systems could save thousands of lives and millions of
dollars in property taxes. Bottom line. So together with their Federal
partners, USFA has reported a potential 82 percent reduction in fire
deaths if fire sprinklers, along with smoke alarms, were installed in
all residential dwellings. With the cost of a home sprinkler system in
new construction being estimated as low as $1.50 a square foot, or as
low as 1 percent of the total cost of the house, and of course, many
insurance companies offering discounts up to 15 percent on houses that
contain sprinkler systems, it is clear that the benefits in lives and
property saved far outweigh the costs.
The amendment from the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin)
supports the efforts of the U.S. Fire Administration to improve the
awareness of the effectiveness and availability of residential
sprinkler systems.
Mr. Chairman, I wholeheartedly support the gentleman's amendment, and
urge my colleagues to do the same.
I yield back my time.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for
his supportive comments and look forward to working with him on passage
of this amendment.
At this time, Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield as much time as he
may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Langevin for all of
his critical work on this too often neglected issue of fire sprinklers.
I applaud this amendment for encouraging the installation of fire
sprinklers in all commercial buildings and supporting educational
programs about installing them in residential buildings. A very
critical issue here.
We must take every opportunity to promote the use of fire sprinklers,
as the gentleman from Georgia just pointed out, which is why we
introduced the Campus Fire Safety Legislation to require mandatory
responses. Every university now, every college, every community
college, whether it is a college building or a dormitory, any building
connected to that university or institution has an obligation to tell
the parents and the students what is their record on fire safety. No
students should be sent to any university, any university or any
college, unless their parents and they themselves know what the record
is, if there are sprinklers installed, if there are smoke detectors
installed. We lost three who were killed in the Seton Hall fire in New
Jersey, 58 were injured. Since 2000, 108 people have died in campus
fires. There are 20 campus-related fire deaths in the last 2 years.
Mr. Chairman, I want to bring the attention to everyone on this as
part of the educational process. I want to thank the gentleman from
Rhode Island for introducing this amendment. It makes sense, and I hope
everybody will support it.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Rhode Island has
expired.
The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Rhode
Island (Mr. Langevin).
The amendment was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment in the nature of a
substitute, as amended.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was agreed
to.
The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Salazar) having assumed the chair, Mr. Faleomavaega, Chairman of the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4847) to
reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and for other
purposes, pursuant to House Resolution 1071, he reported the bill back
to the House with an amendment adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is
ordered.
Is a separate vote demanded on any amendment to the amendment
reported from the Committee of the Whole? If not, the question is on
the amendment.
The amendment was agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
motion to recommit offered by mrs. mc morris rodgers
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at
the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill?
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Yes, in its current form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mrs. McMorris Rodgers moves to recommit the bill H.R. 4847
to the Committee on Science and Technology with instructions
to report the same back to the House forthwith with the
following amendment:
Page 5, line 16, after the em dash, insert ``(1)''.
Page 5, line 23, strike ``otherwise'' and insert
``otherwise, so long as the State or local government in
which such fire service training program operates provides
that any firefighter or rescue personnel, entity, or
organization, including a governmental or intergovernmental
entity, providing inspection services or advice on a
voluntary basis without expectation of compensation regarding
proper installation, use, defects, or recalls of infant and
child safety seats shall not be liable for any act or
omission in connection with providing such services or advice
that results in harm to an infant or child''.
Page 7, after line 6, insert the following new paragraph:
(2) That portion of paragraph (1) added by the amendment
made by this subsection that appears after ``otherwise''
shall take effect after the end of the 2-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.
{time} 1215
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Washington is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill importantly
recognizes the role and sacrifices of firefighters. And, yes, it is our
firefighters who often volunteer to help protect our greatest asset,
our children, yet they face a growing threat of liability lawsuits
related to the proper installation of car seats.
Each year, nearly 2,500 children under the age of 14 die in car
accidents, and more than 200,000 are injured in motor vehicle
accidents. In 2005, half of those who died were not restrained.
According to the National Institute of Highway Safety, children that
are restrained in child seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal
injury. The good news is that we are doing better as a country in using
child seats and saving lives. This may have something to do with the
fact that all 50 States and the District of Columbia now have child
restraint laws on the books. Yet it is estimated that 25 percent of
kids are still not restrained.
We are making great progress in ensuring child safety seats are used
to protect our Nation's greatest asset. However, even though more
children are using child safety seats, improper installation or
improper use of a child safety seat can have the same fatal
consequences. As a new mom, this is a scary reality, and, like many new
parents, I fear that we haven't installed our child safety seat
properly.
A recent study in six States on the misuse of child restraint systems
concluded that nearly 75 percent of child seats had at least one
critical misuse. In an effort to reduce the misuse of child safety
seats, many fire departments send personnel to a 32-hour 4-day course
on their proper installation and use. Once these personnel have been
trained, they are able to provide inspection services or advice on a
voluntary basis regarding the proper installation and use.
When my husband and I had Cole last year, we were advised to have a
fire department ensure our seat was properly installed. But I have also
heard the stories of people being denied by their local fire department
due to liability concerns.
[[Page H1990]]
One example was in Eaton Rapids, where new parents, John and Carol
Doyle, like many parents, were nervous about the new responsibility for
the health and safety of their new baby, and it began with that first
ride home from the hospital. They had a pretty good idea how to strap
their rear-facing infant car seat into the back seat of their car, but
they didn't like the idea of guessing. They sought help from the people
at the local medical center, but those folks declined. ``They were
afraid that if they told us how to do it, then there would be a
problem. We would sue them.''
The medical staffers suggested that they seek help from the fire
department, so on the way home from the hospital they stopped by the
fire station. The woman wanted to help, but couldn't. ``It is a
liability issue,'' she said, referring the family to the local police.
They called the police department, but the person they spoke to said
again it is a liability thing.
This is an important service that can help save the life of a child.
However, the fear is that some departments and communities may be
unwilling to offer this life-saving service because of fear of
liability.
The motion to recommit I offer today would help remedy the situation.
It would protect fire departments that wish to offer this service to
the public. The language requires States or local governments covered
under the provisions of this bill to protect their properly-trained
firefighters from liability and lawsuits when they offer inspection and
advice regarding car seat use.
This motion to recommit gives States 2 years to provide protection
for our firefighters. This service the firefighters are offering is too
valuable to let it get bogged down by the threat of lawsuits. We should
not allow trial lawyers to hijack the safety of our children.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the
motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, my mother grew up way out in
the country, way, way out in the country, and when she was a young girl
their house burned. The only things they saved were their lives and the
clothes on their back. Today, 70 years later, whenever my mother hears
a fire engine or sees a fire truck, she tells me that story about how
her house burned, almost in a trance. It is a very traumatic experience
when a family goes through something like this.
That is the reason that our committee worked in a bipartisan way to
try to come forth with a very good bill that would help to save lives,
save property and help our firefighters do a better job of hopefully
shielding some other families from that trauma that my mother went
through.
It is really unfortunate after all of that work that the gentlewoman
would come forth with a mischievous amendment that has had no
discussion. We don't know anything about is there a liability problem
or not. We don't know whether or not this is going to affect States'
own liability or whether this is going to preempt it.
The gentlewoman had an opportunity, if this is such an important
issue, to both come before the committee and talk to us at the
subcommittee level. But there was no discussion. She could have come to
the subcommittee markup, where it passed unanimously. But there was no
discussion. She could have come to the full committee markup, where
again it passed out unanimously, but there was no effort. Or she could
have gone to the Rules Committee and asked to have a rule and be
allowed to submit the amendment so we could have a discussion, even
here at this late date. But there was no effort.
Quite frankly, I think this is a game of ``gotcha.'' It is an insult
to the Democrats and Republicans on the Science Committee, who worked
hard to put this good bill together. It is an insult to the
firefighters, who are trying to do their job every day and who need
these funds and training. It is an insult to all those individuals and
organizations that endorsed this bill, like the International
Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of
Firefighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire
Protection Association, the International Association of Arson
Investigators, the North American Fire Training Directors, the
International Fire Services Training Association, and the Congressional
Fire Service Institute. They endorsed this bill because it is a good
bill, a bill that will help firefighters do their job. It is very
unfortunate that we are trying to play these games at the last moment.
Mr. Speaker, I recommend that we vote down this amendment that we
know nothing about and that we move forward with this good bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the motion to recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on
the question of passage.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 205,
nays 209, not voting 16, as follows:
[Roll No. 159]
YEAS--205
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Bachmann
Bachus
Barrett (SC)
Barrow
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boozman
Boustany
Boyda (KS)
Brady (TX)
Broun (GA)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp (MI)
Campbell (CA)
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carney
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Coble
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Davis, David
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Donnelly
Doolittle
Drake
Dreier
Duncan
Edwards
Ehlers
Emerson
English (PA)
Everett
Fallin
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Forbes
Fortenberry
Fossella
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gilchrest
Gingrey
Gohmert
Goode
Goodlatte
Graves
Hall (TX)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hulshof
Hunter
Inglis (SC)
Issa
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Jordan
Keller
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline (MN)
Kuhl (NY)
LaHood
Lamborn
Lampson
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Mahoney (FL)
Manzullo
Marchant
Marshall
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul (TX)
McCotter
McCrery
McHenry
McHugh
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Mica
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy, Tim
Musgrave
Myrick
Neugebauer
Nunes
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Porter
Price (GA)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Sali
Saxton
Schmidt
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shays
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Space
Stearns
Sullivan
Tancredo
Taylor
Terry
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Walberg
Walden (OR)
Walsh (NY)
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weller
Westmoreland
Whitfield (KY)
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--209
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Andrews
Arcuri
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boren
Boswell
Boyd (FL)
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown, Corrine
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carson
Chandler
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Cramer
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis, Lincoln
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Ellison
Ellsworth
Emanuel
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Foster
Frank (MA)
Giffords
Gillibrand
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
[[Page H1991]]
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hodes
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
Kucinich
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lynch
Maloney (NY)
Markey
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum (MN)
McDermott
McGovern
McNulty
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Michaud
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mitchell
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy, Patrick
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Perlmutter
Peterson (MN)
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Reyes
Richardson
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Salazar
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sestak
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shuler
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Stupak
Sutton
Tanner
Tauscher
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Tsongas
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Welch (VT)
Wexler
Wilson (OH)
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--16
Allen
Boucher
Castor
Cubin
Granger
Hooley
Jefferson
Klein (FL)
Knollenberg
Miller (FL)
Paul
Rangel
Rush
Sires
Wittman (VA)
Wynn
{time} 1246
Messrs. GUTIERREZ, BERMAN, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Messrs.
CROWLEY, LARSON of Connecticut, UDALL of Colorado, and Ms. SLAUGHTER
changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. MICA, PRICE of Georgia, LEWIS of California, McINTYRE, and
KING of Iowa changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 412,
nays 0, not voting 18, as follows:
[Roll No. 160]
YEAS--412
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Andrews
Arcuri
Baca
Bachmann
Bachus
Baird
Baldwin
Barrett (SC)
Barrow
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Blunt
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boozman
Boren
Boswell
Boustany
Boyd (FL)
Boyda (KS)
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Broun (GA)
Brown (SC)
Brown, Corrine
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Butterfield
Buyer
Calvert
Camp (MI)
Campbell (CA)
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chandler
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Cohen
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Cramer
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (KY)
Davis, David
Davis, Lincoln
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly
Doolittle
Doyle
Drake
Dreier
Duncan
Edwards
Ehlers
Ellison
Ellsworth
Emanuel
Emerson
Engel
English (PA)
Eshoo
Etheridge
Everett
Fallin
Farr
Fattah
Feeney
Ferguson
Filner
Flake
Forbes
Fortenberry
Fossella
Foster
Foxx
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Giffords
Gilchrest
Gillibrand
Gingrey
Gohmert
Gonzalez
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Graves
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Hall (TX)
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hobson
Hodes
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Inglis (SC)
Inslee
Israel
Issa
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Jones (OH)
Jordan
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Keller
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Klein (FL)
Kline (MN)
Kucinich
Kuhl (NY)
LaHood
Lamborn
Lampson
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Mack
Mahoney (FL)
Maloney (NY)
Manzullo
Marchant
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McCaul (TX)
McCollum (MN)
McCotter
McCrery
McDermott
McGovern
McHenry
McHugh
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McNulty
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Mica
Michaud
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Mitchell
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy, Patrick
Murphy, Tim
Murtha
Musgrave
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Neugebauer
Nunes
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pearce
Pence
Perlmutter
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Pomeroy
Porter
Price (GA)
Price (NC)
Putnam
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reyes
Reynolds
Richardson
Rodriguez
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Ruppersberger
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Salazar
Sali
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schmidt
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sestak
Shadegg
Shays
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Simpson
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Souder
Space
Spratt
Stark
Stearns
Stupak
Sullivan
Sutton
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor
Terry
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Towns
Tsongas
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Van Hollen
Visclosky
Walberg
Walden (OR)
Walsh (NY)
Walz (MN)
Wamp
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Welch (VT)
Weldon (FL)
Weller
Westmoreland
Wexler
Whitfield (KY)
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (OH)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NOT VOTING--18
Allen
Boehner
Boucher
Castor
Cubin
Granger
Hooley
Jefferson
Knollenberg
Miller (FL)
Paul
Pryce (OH)
Rangel
Rush
Sires
Velazquez
Wittman (VA)
Wynn
{time} 1256
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________