United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session

[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 115-98
115th Congress

An Act


 
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. <>

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 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.''.

[[Page 2240]]

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.

[[Page 2241]]

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).

Approved January 3, 2018.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 4661:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
Dec. 18, considered and passed House.
Dec. 21, considered and passed Senate.