[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 131 (Wednesday, August 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4714-S4715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AFG AND SAFER PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 168, S. 829.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 829) to reauthorize the Assistance to 
     Firefighters Grants program, the Fire Prevention and Safety 
     Grants program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and 
     Emergency Response grant program, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with an amendment to strike all after the 
enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``AFG and SAFER Program 
     Reauthorization Act of 2017''.

[[Page S4715]]

  


     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS 
                   PROGRAM AND THE FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY 
                   GRANTS PROGRAM.

       (a) Repeal of Sunset.--Section 33 of the Federal Fire 
     Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is 
     amended by striking subsection (r).
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (q)(1)(B) 
     of such section is amended by striking ``2017'' and inserting 
     ``2023''.
       (c) Authorization for Certain Training Under Assistance to 
     Firefighters Grants Program.--Subsection (c)(3) of such 
     section is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(N) To provide specialized training to firefighters, 
     paramedics, emergency medical service workers, and other 
     first responders to recognize individuals who have mental 
     illness and how to properly intervene with individuals with 
     mental illness, including strategies for verbal de-escalation 
     of crisis.''.

     SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND 
                   EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) Repeal of Sunset.--Section 34 of the Federal Fire 
     Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a) is 
     amended by striking subsection (k).
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (j)(1)(I) 
     of such section is amended, in the matter before clause (i), 
     by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2023''.
       (c) Modification of Application Requirements.--Subsection 
     (b)(3)(B) of such section is amended by striking ``of 
     subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii) and (F)'' and inserting ``of 
     subsection (a)(1)(F)''.
       (d) Modification of Limitation.--Subsection (c)(2) of such 
     section is amended by striking ``prior to November 24, 2003'' 
     and inserting ``prior to the date of the application for the 
     grant''.
       (e) Modification of Waiver Authority.--Subsection (d)(1)(B) 
     of such section is amended by striking ``subsection (a)(1)(E) 
     or subsection (c)(2)'' and inserting ``subsection (a)(1)(E), 
     (c)(2), or (c)(4)''.
       (f) Repeal of Authority for Certain Use of Grant Amounts 
     Transferred to Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program.--
     Subsection (a)(1)(B) of such section is amended by striking 
     ``and to provide'' and all that follows through ``of 
     crises''.
       (g) Expansion of Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency 
     Response Grant Program.--Subsection (a)(1)(B) of such 
     section, as amended by subsection (f), is further amended by 
     inserting ``or to change the status of part-time or paid-on-
     call (as defined in section 33(a)) firefighters to full-time 
     firefighters'' after ``firefighters''.

     SEC. 4. TRAINING ON ADMINISTRATION OF FIRE GRANT PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency, acting through the Administrator of the 
     United States Fire Administration, may develop and make 
     widely available an electronic, online training course for 
     members of the fire and emergency response community on 
     matters relating to the administration of grants under 
     sections 33 and 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
     Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229 and 2229a).
       (b) Requirements.--The Administrator of the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency shall ensure that any training 
     developed and made available under subsection (a) is--
       (1) tailored to the financial and time constraints of 
     members of the fire and emergency response community; and
       (2) accessible to all individuals in the career, 
     combination, paid-on-call, and volunteer fire and emergency 
     response community.

     SEC. 5. FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING OF THE 
                   ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM, THE 
                   FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS PROGRAM, AND 
                   THE STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY 
                   RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) Framework.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency, acting through the Administrator 
     of the United States Fire Administration, shall develop and 
     implement a grant monitoring and oversight framework to 
     mitigate and minimize risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and 
     mismanagement relating to the grants programs under sections 
     33 and 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 
     1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229 and 2229a).
       (b) Elements.--The framework required by subsection (a) 
     shall include the following:
       (1) Developing standardized guidance and training for all 
     participants in the grant programs described in subsection 
     (a).
       (2) Conduct of regular risk assessments.
       (3) Conducting desk reviews and site visits.
       (4) Enforcement actions to recoup potential questionable 
     costs of grant recipients.
       (5) Such other oversight and monitoring tools as the 
     Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     considers necessary to mitigate and minimize fraud, waste, 
     abuse, and mismanagement relating to the grant programs 
     described in subsection (a).

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to, 
the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was 
agreed to.
  The bill (S. 829), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

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