Fire Administration Authorization Act of 1997

Summary: Fire Administration Authorization Act of 1997 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for FY 1998 and 1999. 
Permits successor fire safety standards to be used as guidelines in addition to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 74, NFPA Standard 13 or 13-R, or NFPA Standard 101 (Life Safety Code) for installation of hard-wired, single-station smoke detectors or automatic sprinkler systems in:  (1) places of public accommodation affecting commerce; and (2) federally-assisted buildings. 
Requires the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration to report to the Congress at least 60 days in advance on the termination or transfer to a private sector entity of any significant function of the Administration. 
Prohibits funds authorized by this Act from being made available for any activity to influence legislation before the Congress, except that Federal officers or employees may communicate to Members of Congress on requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of the public business. 
Requires the Administrator to exclude from consideration for grant agreements made by the Administration after FY 1997 any person who received funds appropriated for a fiscal year after FY 1997 under a grant agreement from any Federal funding source for a project that was not subjected to a competitive merit-based award process.  Limits such exclusion to a five-year period after the person receives such Federal funds.  Makes an exception for persons who received Federal funds due to membership in a class the members of which are awarded assistance according to a formula provided by law. 
Requires:  (1) the House Committee on Science and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to be notified if funds authorized by this Act are subject to a reprogramming action that requires notice to be provided to the Appropriations Committees; and (2) the Administrator to notify all such committees not later than 15 days before any major reorganization of any Administration program, project, or activity. 
Urges the Administration to give high priority to correcting, assess the risk to operations posed by, plan and budget for, and develop contingency plans for date-related year 2000 problems in its computer systems. 
Prohibits funds appropriated under this Act from being expended by an entity unless such entity complies with the Buy American Act. Expresses the sense of the Congress that entities receiving financial assistance under this Act should, in expending such assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.  Requires the Administrator, in providing such assistance, to so notify each recipient.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fire Administration Authorization 
Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (E);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (F) 
        and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
            ``(G) $29,600,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
        1998; and
            ``(H) $30,500,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
        1999.''.

SEC. 3. SUCCESSOR FIRE SAFETY STANDARDS.

    The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 is amended--
            (1) in section 29(a)(1), by inserting ``, or any successor 
        standard thereto,'' after ``Association Standard 74'';
            (2) in section 29(a)(2), by inserting ``or any successor 
        standards thereto,'' after ``whichever is appropriate,'';
            (3) in section 29(b)(2), by inserting ``, or any successor 
        standards thereto'' after ``Association Standard 13 or 13-R'';
            (4) in section 31(c)(2)(B)(i), by inserting ``or any 
        successor standard thereto,'' after ``Life Safety Code),''; and
            (5) in section 31(c)(2)(B)(ii), by inserting ``or any 
        successor standard thereto,'' after ``Association Standard 
        101,''.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION OR PRIVATIZATION OF FUNCTIONS.

    The Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall 
transmit to Congress a report providing notice at least 60 days in 
advance of the termination or transfer to a private sector entity of 
any significant function of the United States Fire Administration.

SEC. 5. LIMITATIONS.

    (a) Prohibition of Lobbying Activities.--None of the funds 
authorized by the amendments made by this Act shall be available for 
any activity whose purpose is to influence legislation pending before 
the Congress, except that this subsection shall not prevent officers or 
employees of the United States or of its departments or agencies from 
communicating to Members of Congress on the request of any Member or to 
Congress, through the proper channels, requests for legislation or 
appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of 
the public business.
    (b) Limitation on Appropriations.--No sums are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator of the United States Fire 
Administration for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for the activities for 
which sums are authorized by the amendments made by this Act, unless 
such sums are specifically authorized to be appropriated by the 
amendments made by this Act.
    (c) Eligibility for Awards.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator of the United States 
        Fire Administration shall exclude from consideration for grant 
        agreements made by the Administration after fiscal year 1997 
        any person who received funds, other than those described in 
        paragraph (2), appropriated for a fiscal year after fiscal year 
        1997, under a grant agreement from any Federal funding source 
        for a project that was not subjected to a competitive, merit-
        based award process. Any exclusion from consideration pursuant 
        to this subsection shall be effective for a period of 5 years 
        after the person receives such Federal funds.
            (2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the 
        receipt of Federal funds by a person due to the membership of 
        that person in a class specified by law for which assistance is 
        awarded to members of the class according to a formula provided 
        by law.
            (3) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the term 
        ``grant agreement'' means a legal instrument whose principal 
        purpose is to transfer a thing of value to the recipient to 
        carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized 
        by a law of the United States, and does not include the 
        acquisition (by purchase, lease, or barter) of property or 
        services for the direct benefit or use of the United States 
        Government. Such term does not include a cooperative agreement 
        (as such term is used in section 6305 of title 31, United 
        States Code) or a cooperative research and development 
        agreement (as such term is defined in section 12(d)(1) of the 
        Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
        3710a(d)(1))).

SEC. 6. NOTICE.

    (a) Notice of Reprogramming.--If any funds authorized by the 
amendments made by this Act are subject to a reprogramming action that 
requires notice to be provided to the Appropriations Committees of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate, notice of such action shall 
concurrently be provided to the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate.
    (b) Notice of Reorganization.--The Administrator of the United 
States Fire Administration shall provide notice to the Committees on 
Science and Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the 
Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Appropriations 
of the Senate, not later than 15 days before any major reorganization 
of any program, project, or activity of the United States Fire 
Administration.

SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM.

    With the year 2000 fast approaching, it is the sense of Congress 
that the United States Fire Administration should--
            (1) give high priority to correcting all 2-digit date-
        related problems in its computer systems to ensure that those 
        systems continue to operate effectively in the year 2000 and 
        beyond;
            (2) assess immediately the extent of the risk to the 
        operations of the United States Fire Administration posed by 
        the problems referred to in paragraph (1), and plan and budget 
        for achieving Year 2000 compliance for all of its mission-
        critical systems; and
            (3) develop contingency plans for those systems that the 
        United States Fire Administration is unable to correct in time.

SEC. 8. BUY AMERICAN.

    (a) Compliance With Buy American Act.--No funds appropriated 
pursuant to the amendments made by this Act may be expended by an 
entity unless the entity agrees that in expending the assistance the 
entity will comply with sections 2 through 4 of the Act of March 3, 
1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a-10c, popularly known as the ``Buy American Act'').
    (b) Sense of Congress.--In the case of any equipment or products 
that may be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance 
provided under the amendments made by this Act, it is the sense of 
Congress that entities receiving such assistance should, in expending 
the assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.
    (c) Notice to Recipients of Assistance.--In providing financial 
assistance under the amendments made by this Act, the Administrator of 
the United States Fire Administration shall provide to each recipient 
of the assistance a notice describing the statement made in subsection 
(a) by the Congress.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 23, 1997.

            Attest:

                                                ROBIN H. CARLE,

                                                                 Clerk.