[Senate Report 116-43]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                         Calendar No. 108

116th Congress   }                                             {   Report
                                 SENATE                          
1st Session      }                                             {   116-43
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     

                                                       


                       EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE

                  DESIGNATION OF OCTOBER 28, 2019, AS

             ``HONORING THE NATION'S FIRST RESPONDERS DAY''

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND

                          GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                              to accompany

                            S. CON. RES. 15






                  June 4, 2019.--Ordered to be printed
                  
                  
                  
                           _________ 
                                  
             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
89-010               WASHINGTON : 2019                   

                  
                  
                  
                  
        COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                    RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin, Chairman
ROB PORTMAN, Ohio                    GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
RAND PAUL, Kentucky                  THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma             MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire
MITT ROMNEY, Utah                    KAMALA D. HARRIS, California
RICK SCOTT, Florida                  KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming             JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                Gabrielle D'Adamo Singer, Staff Director
                   Joseph C. Folio III, Chief Counsel
             Barrett F. Percival, Professional Staff Member
               David M. Weinberg, Minority Staff Director
               Zachary I. Schram, Minority Chief Counsel
                    Roy S. Awabdeh, Minority Counsel
   Christopher J. Mulkins, Minority Government Accountability Office 
                                Detailee
                     Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
                     
                     
                     


                                                       Calendar No. 108
                                                       
116th Congress   }                                           {   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session     }                                           {   116-43

======================================================================



 
               EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF 
  OCTOBER 28, 2019, AS ``HONORING THE NATION'S FIRST RESPONDERS DAY''

                                _______
                                

                  June 4, 2019.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Johnson, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                    Affairs, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                     [To accompany S. Con. Res. 15]

    The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs, to which was referred the concurrent resolution (S. 
Con. Res. 15) expressing support for the designation of October 
28, 2019, as ``Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day'', 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the concurrent resolution do 
pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
 II. Background and Need for the Legislation..........................2
III. Legislative History..............................................3
 IV. Section-by-Section Analysis......................................3
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................3
 VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................3
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Concurrent Resolution, as 
     Reported.........................................................3

                         I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    S. Con. Res. 15 expresses support for the designation of 
October 28, 2019, as ``Honoring the Nation's First Responders 
Day.'' First responders deserve to be recognized for their 
commitment to safety, defense, and honor. First responders 
include all professional and volunteer fire, police, emergency 
medical technician, and paramedic workers in the United States.

              II. BACKGROUND AND THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    There are an estimated 4.6 million first responders, 
comprised of career and volunteer professionals, in the United 
States.\1\ First responders often serve as ``the primary line 
of defense for U.S. communities, responding to an evolving 
spectrum of natural and man-made threats,'' putting themselves 
at risk to protect or aide others.\2\ They serve in critical 
roles across the country, with daily responsibilities that 
often involve ``managing crisis situations or working in 
dangerous or unstable environments.''\3\ Consequently, work-
related incidents that cause injury or illness occur at much 
higher rates for first responders, in comparison to workers in 
most other occupations.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Emergency Services Sector Profile, Dep't of Homeland Sec. (Nov. 
2018), available at https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/
publications/18_0126_NPPD_emergency-services-sector-profile.pdf.
    \2\First Responders, Dep't of Homeland Sec., available at https://
www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/first-responders (last visited May 
20, 2019).
    \3\Kristina Shafer et al., Characteristics of Individuals and 
Employment Among First Responders, Dep't of Labor (2015), available at 
https://www.dol.gov/asp/evaluation/analytics-reports/
CharacteristicsOfIndividualsAndEmploymentAmongFirstResponders.pdf.
    \4\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This Committee has a history of working together to support 
first responders in various capacities. In 2017, for example, 
the Committee held a hearing regarding the Federal Government's 
response to the 2017 hurricane season.\5\ During the hearing, 
the Committee recognized the contributions of first responders 
who worked for weeks on end to ``help alleviate the suffering 
and begin the monumental task of rebuilding.''\6\ In 2014, for 
example, the Committee held a hearing entitled, Transparency 
and Training: Preparing our First Responders for Emerging 
Threats and Hazards, to discuss challenges facing first 
responders from the transportation of hazardous material, and 
various ways to support first responders.\7\ In that same year, 
the Committee held a hearing to evaluate the role and 
coordination of first responders in catastrophic disaster 
planning.\8\ Additionally, last Congress the Committee approved 
and the President enacted legislation to reauthorize federal 
grants that help local fire departments comply with staffing, 
response, and operational standards.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\2017 Hurricane Season: Oversight of the Federal Response: 
Hearing Before the S. Comm. On Homeland Sec. & Governmental Affairs, 
115th Cong. (2017) (opening statement for Sen. Ron Johnson, Chairman), 
available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/2017-hurricane-
season-oversight-of-the-federal-response.
    \6\Id.
    \7\Transparency and Training: Preparing Our First Responders for 
Emerging Threats and Hazards: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on Homeland 
Sec. & Governmental Affairs, Subcomm. on Emergency Mgmt., 
Intergovernmental Rel., and the District of Columbia, 113th Cong. 
(2014), available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/emdc/
hearings/transparency-and-training-preparing-our-first-responders-for-
emerging-threats-and-hazards.
    \8\Fifty Years Since the Great Alaska Earthquake: The Role of First 
Responders in Catastrophic Disaster Planning: Hearing Before the S. 
Comm. on Homeland Sec. & Governmental Affairs, Subcomm. on Emergency 
Mgmt., Intergovernmental Rel., and the District of Columbia, 113th 
Cong. (2014), available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/
emdc/hearings/fifty-years-since-the-great-alaska-earthquake-the-role-
of-first-responders-in-catastrophic-disaster-planning.
    \9\United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program 
Reauthorization Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-98 (115th Cong.) (passed 
the Committee as S. 829).
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    The Committee is honored to support this legislation to 
ensure that first responders are recognized for their 
contributions to communities across the United States.

                        III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced S. Con. Res. 15 
on May 1, 2019, with Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ron Johnson 
(R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Jacky 
Rosen (D-NV). The concurrent resolution was referred to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on May 
1, 2019.
    The Committee considered S. Con. Res. 15 at a business 
meeting on May 15, 2019. The concurrent resolution was ordered 
reported favorably en bloc by voice vote. Senators Johnson, 
Paul, Lankford, Scott, Peters, Carper, Hassan, and Rosen were 
present for the vote. For the record only, Senators Portman, 
Romney, Hawley, and Sinema later asked to be recorded as 
``yes'' by unanimous consent.

   IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, AS 
                                REPORTED

    The resolution makes findings about first responders' work 
within a variety of disciplinary areas, the size of the first 
responder community, and need to recognize their service. The 
resolution designates October 28, 2019, as ``Honoring the 
Nation's First Responders Day.'' The concurrent resolution 
urges Americans to engage in appropriate ceremonies and 
activities that promote appreciation of the sacrifices and work 
of first responders on October 28, 2019.

                   V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

    Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has 
considered the regulatory impact of this concurrent resolution 
and determined that the concurrent resolution will have no 
regulatory impact within the meaning of the rules. The 
Committee agrees with the Congressional Budget Office's 
statement that the concurrent resolution contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs 
on state, local, or tribal governments.

             VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    As this is a concurrent resolution, there is no 
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.

  VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, AS 
                                REPORTED

    Because this legislation would not repeal or amend any 
provision of current law, it would not make changes in existing 
law within the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of paragraph 12 
of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate.