IC 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 829 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 4, 2017 

Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘AFG and SAFER Pro3 gram Reauthorization Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO FIRE5 FIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM AND THE FIRE 

6 PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS PRO7 GRAM. 

8 (a) REPEAL OF SUNSET.—Section 33 of the Federal 

9 Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 

10 2229) is amended by striking subsection (r). 

11 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub12 section (q)(1)(B) of such section is amended by striking 

13 ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN TRAINING UNDER

15 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM.— 

16 Subsection (c)(3) of such section is amended by adding 

17 at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(N) To provide specialized training to 

19 firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical 

20 service workers, and other first responders to 

21 recognize individuals who have mental illness 

22 and how to properly intervene with individuals 

23 with mental illness, including strategies for 

24 verbal de-escalation of crisis.’’. 

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1 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE 

2 FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT 

3 PROGRAM. 

4 (a) REPEAL OF SUNSET.—Section 34 of the Federal 

5 Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 

6 2229a) is amended by striking subsection (k). 

7 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub8 section (j)(1)(I) of such section is amended, in the matter 

9 before clause (i), by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘2023’’. 

11 (c) MODIFICATION OF APPLICATION REQUIRE12 MENTS.—Subsection (b)(3)(B) of such section is amended 

13 by striking ‘‘of subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii) and (F)’’ and in14 serting ‘‘of subsection (a)(1)(F)’’. 

15 (d) MODIFICATION OF LIMITATION.—Subsection 

16 (c)(2) of such section is amended by striking ‘‘prior to No17 vember 24, 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘prior to the date of the 

18 application for the grant’’. 

19 (e) MODIFICATION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY.—Sub20 section (d)(1)(B) of such section is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(E) or subsection (c)(2)’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(E), (c)(2), or (c)(4)’’. 

23 (f) REPEAL OF AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN USE OF

24 GRANT AMOUNTS TRANSFERRED TO ASSISTANCE TO

25 FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM.—Subsection (a)(1)(B) 

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1 of such section is amended by striking ‘‘and to provide’’ 

2 and all that follows through ‘‘of crises’’. 

3 (g) EXPANSION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE

4 AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM.—Sub5 section (a)(1)(B) of such section, as amended by sub6 section (f), is further amended by inserting ‘‘or to change 

7 the status of part-time or paid-on-call (as defined in sec8 tion 33(a)) firefighters to full-time firefighters’’ after 

9 ‘‘firefighters’’. 

10 SEC. 4. TRAINING ON ADMINISTRATION OF FIRE GRANT 

11 PROGRAMS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal 

13 Emergency Management Agency, acting through the Ad14 ministrator of the United States Fire Administration, may 

15 develop and make widely available an electronic, online 

16 training course for members of the fire and emergency re17 sponse community on matters relating to the administra18 tion of grants under sections 33 and 34 of the Federal 

19 Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229 

20 and 2229a). 

21 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator of the Fed22 eral Emergency Management Agency shall ensure that 

23 any training developed and made available under sub24 section (a) is— 

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1 (1) tailored to the financial and time con2 straints of members of the fire and emergency re3 sponse community; and 

4 (2) accessible to all individuals in the career, 

5 combination, paid-on-call, and volunteer fire and 

6 emergency response community. 

7 SEC. 5. FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING 

8 OF THE ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS 

9 GRANTS PROGRAM, THE FIRE PREVENTION 

10 AND SAFETY GRANTS PROGRAM, AND THE 

11 STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMER12 GENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM. 

13 (a) FRAMEWORK.—Not later than 90 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

15 the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acting 

16 through the Administrator of the United States Fire Ad17 ministration, shall develop and implement a grant moni18 toring and oversight framework to mitigate and minimize 

19 risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement relating 

20 to the grants programs under sections 33 and 34 of the 

21 Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 

22 U.S.C. 2229 and 2229a). 

23 (b) ELEMENTS.—The framework required by sub24 section (a) shall include the following: 

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1 (1) Developing standardized guidance and 

2 training for all participants in the grant programs 

3 described in subsection (a). 

4 (2) Conduct of regular risk assessments. 

5 (3) Conducting desk reviews and site visits. 

6 (4) Enforcement actions to recoup potential 

7 questionable costs of grant recipients. 

8 (5) Such other oversight and monitoring tools 

9 as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

10 Management Agency considers necessary to mitigate 

11 and minimize fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanage12 ment relating to the grant programs described in 

13 subsection (a). 

Passed the Senate August 2, 2017. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 

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