[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 206 (Monday, December 18, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H10155-H10158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION, AFG, AND SAFER PROGRAM
REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4661) to reauthorize the United States Fire Administration,
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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4661
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire
Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of
2017''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES FIRE
ADMINISTRATION.
Section 17(g)(1)(M) of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216 (g)(1)(M)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``fiscal year 2017'' and inserting ``for
each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023''; and
(2) by inserting ``for each such fiscal year'' after
``$2,753,672''.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS
PROGRAM AND THE FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY
GRANTS PROGRAM.
(a) Sunset.--Section 33(r) of the Federal Fire Prevention
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(r)) is amended by
striking ``the date that is 5 years after the date of the
enactment of the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012''
and inserting ``September 30, 2024''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 33(q)(1)(B)
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2229(q)(1)(B)) is amended, in the matter preceding
clause (i), by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2023''.
(c) Authorization for Certain Training Under Assistance to
Firefighters Grants
[[Page H10156]]
Program.--Section 33(c)(3) of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(c)(3)) 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. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND
EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Sunset.--Section 34(k) of the Federal Fire Prevention
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(k)) is amended by
striking ``the date that is 5 years after the date of the
enactment of the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012''
and inserting ``September 30, 2024''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 34(j)(1)(I)
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2229a(j)(1)(I)) is amended, in the matter preceding
clause (i), by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2023''.
(c) Modification of Application Requirements.--Section
34(b)(3)(B) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(b)(3)(B)) is amended by striking ``of
subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii) and (F)'' and inserting ``of
subsection (a)(1)(F)''.
(d) Modification of Limitation.--Section 34(c)(2) of the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C.
2229a(c)(2)) is amended by striking ``prior to the date of
enactment of this section'' and inserting ``prior to the date
of the application for the grant''.
(e) Modification of Waiver Authority.--Section 34(d)(1)(B)
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2229a(d)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ``subsection
(a)(1)(E) or subsection (c)(2)'' and inserting ``subsection
(a)(1)(E), (c)(2), or (c)(4)''.
(f) Expansion of Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response Grant Program; Repeal of Authority for Certain Use
of Grant Amounts Transferred to Assistance to Firefighters
Grants Program.--Section 34(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(a)(1)(B))
is amended--
(1) 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''; and
(2) by striking ``and to provide'' and all that follows
through ``of crises''.
SEC. 5. 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. 6. 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
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 under subsection (a)
shall include the following:
(1) Developing standardized guidance and training for all
participants in the grant programs described in subsection
(a).
(2) Conducting 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).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Virginia (Mrs. Comstock) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 4661, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER
Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 reflects a bipartisan, bicameral
agreement reached between the House and the Senate authorizing
committees.
I want to particularly thank our chairman and ranking member and my
friend, Senator McCain, for his leadership on this bill in the Senate,
in helping us get this agreement today. I note we all appreciate his
service as well as his commitment to the service of all those here whom
we are working for today.
Fire prevention and safety is literally a matter of life and death.
In 2015, there were 1.34 million fires reported in the United States,
causing more than 3,000 civilian deaths and 15,000 injuries. In
addition to this devastating human loss, fires cost $14.3 billion in
property damage.
As I travel throughout my district and visit with firefighters and
paramedics, I am constantly reminded of the sacrifices they make to
protect our neighbors. Certainly, as we have seen the raging fires in
California, that is brought to mind also.
One thing I consistently hear from our volunteer and professional
firefighters is how critical these grants are to their stations.
Whether they help by providing training for additional firefighters or
providing upgraded respirators to ensure their safety, towns and
communities around the district are safer as a result of these grants.
Sadly, last year, 69 of our firefighters across the country lost
their lives in the line of duty.
Fire prevention has improved dramatically since Congress passed the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act in 1974, which created the U.S.
Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy. This has certainly
professionalized all of this work, but there are still areas for
improvement.
Firefighting activities and funding are primarily the responsibility
of States and local communities. The USFA and NFA, however, are
responsible for national data collection, public education, and
research and training programs to reduce fire deaths and make our
communities and residents safer, as well as make our firefighters
safer.
For the last 15 years, the Federal Government has also awarded
competitive grants directly to local fire departments and unaffiliated
emergency medical services, or EMS, organizations to help with a
variety of equipment, training, and other needs.
FIRE Act awards provide funding and equipment training to ensure the
safety of our Nation's first responders.
SAFER Act awards help local departments to recruit, hire, and retain
trained firefighters. Many firefighting departments in my district rely
on these grants in order to maintain high-quality fire and emergency
services for their communities.
Loudoun County, in particular, received $2 million through this grant
program. According to Fire Chief Brower: ``These programs greatly
assist localities in the areas of firefighter safety, fire and life
safety education, and improved resourcing for tactical fire
operations.''
More than 80 people lost their lives in the horrific Grenfell Tower
fire in London that occurred earlier this year.
Closer to home, it was just 2 years ago that a Metro fire injured 70
and killed a Virginia resident who was a grandmother of three, who was
on her way to work.
California's huge wildfires are in today's headlines and remind us
that, as communities continue to expand into wildland areas, wildfires
pose growing risk for human life, home and property losses, and entire
communities.
When fires occur, first responders run toward the flames and put
themselves
[[Page H10157]]
in danger in order to prevent lives from being lost.
This bill will reauthorize the USFA and the FIRE and SAFER programs
for 6 years and ensure that our Nation's firefighters and paramedics
have the tools and training they need to fight and prevent devastating
fires.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill today, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Homeland Security,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House
of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Smith: I am writing to you concerning the
jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Homeland Security
in H.R. 4661, the ``United States Fire Administration, AFG,
and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017.'' The bill
contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the
Committee on Homeland Security.
I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this
legislation before the House of Representatives in an
expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on
Homeland Security will not assert its jurisdictional claim
over this bill by seeking a sequential referral. The
Committee takes this action with the mutual understanding
that by foregoing action at this time we do not waive any
jurisdiction over subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation.
This waiver is also given with the understanding that the
Committee on Homeland Security expressly reserves its
authority to seek conferees on any provision within its
jurisdiction during any House-Senate conference on this or
any similar legislation, and requests your support for such a
request.
I ask that a copy of this letter and your response be
included in the Congressional Record during consideration of
this bill on the House floor.
Sincerely,
Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Home Security, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding the
Committee on Homeland Security's jurisdictional interest in
H.R. 4661, the ``United States Fire Administration, AFG, and
SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017,'' and your
willingness to forego consideration of H.R. 4661 by your
committee.
I agree that the Committee on Homeland Security has a valid
jurisdictional interest in certain provisions of H.R. 4661
and that the Committee's jurisdiction will not be adversely
affected by your decision to not request a sequential
referral of H.R. 4661. As you have requested, I will support
your request for an appropriate appointment of outside
conferees from your Committee in the event of a House-Senate
conference on this or similar legislation should such a
conference be convened.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House
of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Smith: I write concerning H.R. 4661, the
United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program
Reauthorization Act of 2017. This legislation includes
matters that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this
legislation before the House of Representatives in an
expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure will forego action on the
bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual
understanding that foregoing consideration of the bill does
not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment
of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the
subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation
that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. Lastly,
should a conference on the bill be necessary, I request your
support for the appointment of conferees from the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure during any House-Senate
conference convened on this or related legislation.
I would ask that a copy of this letter and your response
acknowledging our jurisdictional interest as well as the
mutually agreed upon changes to be incorporated into the bill
be included in the Congressional Record during consideration
of the measure on the House floor, to memorialize our
understanding.
I look forward to working with the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology as the bill moves through the
legislative process.
Sincerely,
Bill Shuster,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's
jurisdictional interest in H.R. 4661, the ``United States
Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization
Act of 2017,'' and your willingness to forego consideration
of H.R. 4661 by your committee.
I agree that the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure has a valid jurisdictional interest in certain
provisions of H.R. 4661 and that the Committee's jurisdiction
will not be adversely affected by your decision to not
request a sequential referral of H.R. 4661. As you have
requested, I will support your request for an appropriate
appointment of outside conferees from your Committee in the
event of a House-Senate conference on this or similar
legislation should such a conference be convened.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the United States Fire
Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017.
I hope we can all agree on the urgency of reauthorizing this program
before the sunset in current law would terminate this program in
January. We heard from the local, State, and Federal experts at our
hearing in July just how essential these programs are to ensuring both
firefighter and community safety in all of our districts across the
Nation.
This bill authorizes funding at the 2017 levels for the U.S. Fire
Administration, Assistance to Firefighters Grants, Staffing for
Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants.
{time} 1730
It also directs establishment of a grant monitoring and oversight
framework. It makes important technical fixes to current law. It
ensures lesser resourced fire departments have the tools to
successfully apply for grants. These are critical programs to ensure
the safety and security of all Americans, and they must be
reauthorized.
Unfortunately, I must also express my disappointment and frustration
with the majority's insistence on including a new sunset clause in this
bill. The sunset currently in law is putting these programs at risk as
we speak. Congress shouldn't need sunsets to do a job properly. In this
case, arbitrary program sunsets puts lives at risk. Every single
firefighting organization wants this sunset out. On a bipartisan basis,
the Senate has voted to remove this sunset, yet here we are today
running up a program termination that nobody wants, and senselessly
adding a future program termination date that nobody wants.
Legislating by self-created emergency is bad for Congress and bad for
our country. Here we are in December desperately trying to avoid
terminating assistance to firefighters. At the same time, we are
desperately trying to keep the Federal Government from shutting down
and we are desperately trying to provide disaster assistance to
Americans who are suffering. Of course, we have already missed the
deadline on CHIP, and now 9 million children all across our country are
in danger of losing health coverage. This is no way to run a country.
So we will vote on this bill today and, in 7 years, probably be right
back in the same boat we are today. We can and should do better than
this.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Mimi Walters).
Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of
H.R. 4661, the United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER
Program Reauthorization Act of 2017.
Mr. Speaker, 2017 has been the most devastating year in California
wildfire history. Thousands of California residents were displaced,
over 1 million
[[Page H10158]]
acres burned, and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed by
this year's fires.
Now, more than ever, it is critical that California's fire
departments are fully staffed. SAFER grants provide resources for fire
departments that struggle to meet their staffing needs, including
Orange County Fire Authority in my district.
SAFER grants will undoubtedly help fire departments across the
country meet the needs of their communities, while ensuring
firefighters are ready and able to assist with wildfire suppression
efforts.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to offer my
sincerest condolences to CAL FIRE and the family of Cory Iverson, who
tragically lost his life this past week battling the Thomas fire.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests
for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Abraham).
Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the reauthorization of
the United States Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters
Grant Program, the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program, and the
SAFER grant program.
These programs are vital to protect the public and the Nation's
firefighters. Recent trends have shown that fire safety and prevention
remains a serious national concern. Data from the U.S. Fire
Administration shows that, while there are fewer fires and fire-related
deaths overall, fires are becoming more severe and costly in both lives
lost and property damage per fire. The best-trained, best-equipped
firefighters cannot always overcome the dangers associated with today's
severe fires.
This alarming trend jeopardizes the economic health of our
communities and our national goal of increased resilience to fire.
Adequate funding for the brave men and women who fight fires is
essential, but we must also be effective in reducing these trends by
preventing the fire's ignition and growth, in the first place, through
robust fire prevention.
I will work with the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to
request that the U.S. First Administration and FEMA investigate the
upward trend in fatalities and property damage per fire.
Mr. Speaker, I thank both Chairman Smith and subcommittee Chairwoman
Comstock for their leadership and hard work on the reauthorization
bill, and I hope to work with them to address these issues moving
forward.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of
the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that the
International Association of Fire Chiefs has endorsed this bill.
I appreciate, again, the bicameral, bipartisan support we were able
to bring together for the sixth year reauthorization--actually, the
seventh year, also, for extra room there.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the
United States Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant
(AFG) program, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) Grant program, and the Fire Prevention and Safety programs.
As an original author of these critical grant programs, I understand
their importance to the firefighting community. It is often local
firefighters who are the first on the scene before help from elsewhere
can arrive. Our first responders provide immediate assistance to those
in need; and these grants enable local firefighters across our nation
to receive the training and equipment necessary to fulfill this
important mission.
The proper training and equipment provided to local firefighters by
the AFG and SAFER grant programs and Fire Prevention and Safety
programs can often mean the difference between life and death.
It is unfortunate, Mr. Speaker, that it took so long for the House to
act on reauthorizing these important federal grants. We have had nearly
an entire year for the Majority to introduce a bill, have it considered
in committee, and see action on the House floor. Or simply, we could
have just considered S. 829, which passed the Senate by unanimous
consent on August 2, 2017.
I even introduced H.R. 3881, a House version of the Senate-passed
legislation and co-led a letter with 153 members of this House to show
support for reauthorizing these grant programs. However, no action was
taken to reauthorize these critical grant programs until today.
The bill before us today makes meaningful and technical changes to
the administration of these grant programs. One important change this
bill makes, that I know is significant to my home state of New Jersey
and fire departments across the nation, is permitting the use of these
grants to permit the use of grants to change the status of part-time or
paid-on-call firefighters to full-time firefighters.
However, unlike the Senate bill, the bill before us today continues
to have a dreadful sunset clause. Typically, the Congress sunsets
programs to ensure there is an opportunity to review the importance of
a program's continuation and that there is no waste, fraud, or abuse.
Since the establishment of these fire programs, there have been no
major issues with waste, fraud, or abuse--and we certainly cannot
dispute the major benefits these programs provide. So it is a wonder
why some are insisting on sunsetting these critical grant programs in
this bill.
This sunset causes needless anxiety, which many have been feeling
this year as the House is only now reauthorizing these programs just
two weeks before they're set to expire. This is a situation where
states and localities and tens of thousands of fire departments across
our nation are left wondering about the future of critical funding they
rely on to keep their communities safe. This sunset is unnecessary and
we should eliminate it.
It is not an understatement to say that the funding provided by these
programs has saved countless lives. The federal resources these grants
have provided fire departments with the equipment, training and
staffing needed to swiftly respond to over 30 million calls annually.
These programs also have improved firefighters' response capabilities
and prevented numerous fires through safety programs targeted toward
high-risk populations.
Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues Congressman Peter King,
Steny Hoyer and Dave Reichert as co-chairs of the Congressional Fire
Services Caucus and for their tireless work on behalf of our nation's
fire service.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues in this Chamber
to support the reauthorization of these critical grant programs.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4661.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________