[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    SUPPORT THE SAFER GRANT PROGRAM

  (Mrs. KIRKPATRICK of Arizona asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of a bill 
I have introduced to help our brave firefighters continue to protect us 
in these tough times. The SAFER Grant Program helps our fire 
departments hire the staff they need by funding some of the salaries of 
new firefighters.
  In a district like mine, where we are fighting five wildfires as we 
speak, this program is crucial to ensuring our firefighters are well-
staffed. With tight budgets, the cost-sharing requirement in SAFER has 
become too tough for our fire departments to meet. Congress waived that 
requirement in the Recovery Act, but did not include grants from fiscal 
year 2008, which are still being distributed.
  My bill would extend the cost-sharing waiver to fiscal year 2008, 
allowing our fire departments the flexibility they need to keep us 
safe, especially during our fire season.

                          ____________________