Authorizes the U.S. Fire Administrator to make grants to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, other public entities, and multijurisdictional or regional consortia thereof to increase career firefighter presence and enhance their ability to save lives, property, and effectively respond to all types of emergencies.
Limits such grants to three years and their use for programs to hire new, additional career firefighters. Requires grantees to commit to retaining such career firefighters for at least one year beyond the termination of their grants.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3992 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3992
To establish the SAFER Firefighter Grant Program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 2002
Mr. Boehlert (for himself, Mr. Pascrell, and Mr. Quinn) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the SAFER Firefighter Grant Program.
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 ``Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response Firefighters Act of 2002''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to substantially increase the number of
firefighters so that communities can meet industry minimum standards to
provide adequate protection from acts of terrorism and hazards by
establishing a program of grants to provide direct funding to local,
State and tribal jurisdictions for salaries and benefits to further
this objective, including an authorization for a period of 7 years.
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF GRANT MANAGEMENT.
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2201
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 34. OFFICE OF GRANT MANAGEMENT.
``(a) Establishment.--A new office within the United States Fire
Administration shall be established to administer the SAFER Firefighter
grant program under this section.
``(b) Authority To Make Grants.--
``(1) The Administrator may make grants to States, units of
local government, Indian tribal governments, other public
entities, and multijurisdictional or regional consortia thereof
to increase career firefighter presence and enhance their
ability to save lives, property, and effectively respond to all
types of emergencies.
``(2)(A) Grants made under paragraph (1) shall be for three
years and used for programs to hire new, additional career
firefighters.
``(B) Grantees are required to commit to retaining for at
least 1 year beyond the termination of their grants those
career firefighters hired under paragraph (1).
``(3) In awarding grants under this section, the
Administrator may give preferential consideration, where
feasible, to applications for hiring and rehiring additional
career firefighters that involve a non-Federal contribution
exceeding the 25 percent minimum under paragraph (6).
``(4) The Administrator may provide technical assistance to
States, units of local government, Indian tribal governments,
and to other public entities, in furtherance of the purposes of
the SAFER Firefighter Act of 2002.
``(5) Unless all applications submitted by any State and
grantee within the State pursuant to paragraph (1) have been
funded, each qualifying State, together with grantees within
the State, shall receive in each fiscal year pursuant to
paragraph (1) not less than 0.5 percent of the total amount
appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to that
paragraph. In this paragraph, `qualifying State' means any
State which has submitted an application for a grant, or in
which an eligible entity has submitted an application for a
grant, which meets the requirements prescribed by the
Administrator and the condition set out in this section.
``(6) The portion of the costs of a program, project, or
activity provided by a grant under paragraph (1) may not exceed
75 percent, unless the Administrator waives, wholly or in part,
the requirement under this paragraph of a non-Federal
contribution to the costs of a program, project, or activity.
``(7) The authority under paragraph (1) of this section to
make grants for the hiring of additional career firefighters
shall lapse at the conclusion of 10 years from the date of
enactment of this section. Prior to the expiration of this
grant authority, the Administrator shall submit a report to
Congress concerning the experience with and effects of such
grants. The report may include any recommendations the
Administrator may have for amendments to this section and
related provisions of law in light of the termination of the
authority to make grants for the hiring and rehiring of
additional career firefighters.
``(c) Applications.--
``(1) No grant may be made under this section unless an
application has been submitted to, and approved by, the
Administrator.
``(2) An application for a grant under this section shall
be submitted in such form, and contain such information, as the
Administrator may prescribe by regulation or guidelines.
``(3) In accordance with the regulations or guidelines
established by the Administrator, each application for a grant
under this section shall--
``(A) include a long-term strategy and detailed
implementation plan that reflects consultation with
community groups and appropriate private and public
agencies and reflects consideration of the statewide
strategy;
``(B) explain the applicant's inability to address
the need without Federal assistance;
``(C) outline the initial and ongoing level of
community support for implementing the proposal
including financial and in-kind contributions or other
tangible commitments;
``(D) specify plans for obtaining necessary support
and continuing the proposed program, project, or
activity following the conclusion of Federal support;
and
``(E) provide assurances that the applicant will,
to the extent practicable, seek, recruit, and hire
members of racial and ethnic minority groups and women
in order to increase their ranks within firefighting.
``(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
in relation to applications under this section of units of
local government or fire districts having jurisdiction over
areas with populations of less than 50,000, the Administrator
may waive 1 or more of the requirements of paragraph (3) and
may otherwise make special provisions to facilitate the
expedited submission, processing, and approval of such
applications.
``(d) Limitation on Use of Funds.--
``(1) Funds made available under this section to States or
units of local government for salaries and benefits to hire
new, additional career firefighters shall not be used to
supplant State or local funds, or, in the case of Indian tribal
governments, funds supplied by the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
but shall be used to increase the amount of funds that would,
in the absence of Federal funds received under this section, be
made available from State or local sources, or in the case of
Indian tribal governments, from funds supplied by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
``(2)(A) States and units of local government may use
assets received through the Assets Forfeiture equitable sharing
program to provide the non-Federal share of the cost of
programs, projects, and activities funded under this section.
``(B) Funds appropriated by the Congress for the activities
of any agency of an Indian tribal government or the Bureau of
Indian Affairs performing firefighting functions on any Indian
lands may be used to provide the non-Federal share of the cost
of programs or projects funded under this section.
``(3)(A) Funding provided for hiring a career firefighter
may not exceed $90,000, unless the Administrator grants a
waiver from this limitation.
``(B) $90,000 cap shall be adjusted for inflation beginning
in fiscal year 2003.
``(e) Performance Evaluation.--
``(1) Each program, project, or activity funded under this
section shall contain a monitoring component, developed
pursuant to guidelines established by the Administrator. The
monitoring required by this subsection shall include systematic
identification and collection of data about activities,
accomplishments, and programs throughout the life of the
program, project, or activity and presentation of such data in
a usable form.
``(2) Selected grant recipients shall be evaluated on the
local level or as part of a national evaluation, pursuant to
guidelines established by the Administrator. Such evaluations
may include assessments of individual program implementations.
In selected jurisdictions that are able to support outcome
evaluations, the effectiveness of funded programs, projects,
and activities may be required.
``(3) The Administrator may require a grant recipient to
submit to the Administrator the results of the monitoring and
evaluations required under paragraphs (1) and (2) and such
other data and information as the Administrator deems
reasonably necessary.
``(f) Revocation or Suspension of Funding.--If the Administrator
determines, as a result of the reviews required by subsection (e), or
otherwise, that a grant recipient under this section is not in
substantial compliance with the terms and requirements of an approved
grant application submitted under subsection (c), the Administrator may
revoke or suspend funding of that grant, in whole or in part.
``(g) Access to Documents.--
``(1) The Administrator shall have access for the purpose
of audit and examination to any pertinent books, documents,
papers, or records of a grant recipient under this section and
to the pertinent books, documents, papers, or records of State
and local governments, persons, businesses, and other entities
that are involved in programs, projects, or activities for
which assistance is provided under this section.
``(2) Paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to audits and
examinations conducted by the Comptroller General of the United
States or by an authorized representative of the Comptroller
General.
``(h) General Regulatory Authority.--The Administrator may
promulgate regulations and guidelines to carry out this section.
``(i) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) `firefighter' has the same meaning as the phrase
`employee in fire protection activities' which is defined in
section 3 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 203(y));
and
``(2) `Indian tribe' means a tribe, band, pueblo, nation,
or other organized group or community of Indians, including an
Alaska Native village (as defined in or established under the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)),
that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and
services provided by the United States to Indians because of
their status as Indians.
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of
carrying out this section--
``(1) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;-
``(2) $1,030,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
``(3) $1,061,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
``(4) $1,093,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
``(5) $1,126,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
``(6) $1,159,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
``(7) $1,194,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science.
Committee Hearings Held.
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