[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\
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\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.
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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\
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\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.