I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4661 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 15, 2017 

Mrs. COMSTOCK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

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. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Fire 

5 Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthoriza6 tion Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES FIRE 

2 ADMINISTRATION. 

3 Section 17(g)(1)(M) of the Federal Fire Prevention 

4 and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216 (g)(1)(M)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2017’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’; and 

8 (2) by inserting ‘‘for each such fiscal year’’ 

9 after ‘‘$2,753,672’’. 

10 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO FIRE11 FIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM AND THE FIRE 

12 PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS PRO13 GRAM. 

14 (a) SUNSET.—Section 33(r) of the Federal Fire Pre15 vention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(r)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘the date that is 5 years after the 

17 date of the enactment of the Fire Grants Reauthorization 

18 Act of 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2024’’. 

19 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

20 33(q)(1)(B) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 

21 Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(q)(1)(B)) is amended, in the 

22 matter preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2017’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘2023’’. 

24 (c) AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN TRAINING UNDER

25 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM.—Sec26 tion 33(c)(3) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 


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1 Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(c)(3)) is amended by adding 

2 at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(N) To provide specialized training to 

4 firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical 

5 service workers, and other first responders to 

6 recognize individuals who have mental illness 

7 and how to properly intervene with individuals 

8 with mental illness, including strategies for 

9 verbal de-escalation of crisis.’’. 

10 SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE 

11 FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT 

12 PROGRAM. 

13 (a) SUNSET.—Section 34(k) of the Federal Fire Pre14 vention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(k)) 

15 is amended by striking ‘‘the date that is 5 years after the 

16 date of the enactment of the Fire Grants Reauthorization 

17 Act of 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2024’’. 

18 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

19 34(j)(1)(I) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 

20 of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(j)(1)(I)) is amended, in the 

21 matter preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘2017’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘2023’’. 

23 (c) MODIFICATION OF APPLICATION REQUIRE24 MENTS.—Section 34(b)(3)(B) of the Federal Fire Preven25 tion and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(b)(3)(B)) 


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1 is amended by striking ‘‘of subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii) and 

2 (F)’’ and inserting ‘‘of subsection (a)(1)(F)’’. 

3 (d) MODIFICATION OF LIMITATION.—Section 

4 34(c)(2) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 

5 of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(c)(2)) is amended by striking 

6 ‘‘prior to the date of enactment of this section’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘prior to the date of the application for the grant’’. 

8 (e) MODIFICATION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY.—Section 

9 34(d)(1)(B) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 

10 Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(d)(1)(B)) is amended by 

11 striking ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(E) or subsection (c)(2)’’ and 

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

13 (f) EXPANSION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE

14 AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM; REPEAL

15 OF AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS

16 TRANSFERRED TO ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS

17 GRANTS PROGRAM.—Section 34(a)(1)(B) of the Federal 

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

19 2229a(a)(1)(B)) is amended— 

20 (1) by inserting ‘‘or to change the status of 

21 part-time or paid-on-call (as defined in section 

22 33(a)) firefighters to full-time firefighters’’ after 

23 ‘‘firefighters’’; and 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘and to provide’’ and all that 

25 follows through ‘‘of crises’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. TRAINING ON ADMINISTRATION OF FIRE GRANT 

2 PROGRAMS. 

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

4 Emergency Management Agency, acting through the Ad5 ministrator of the United States Fire Administration, may 

6 develop and make widely available an electronic, online 

7 training course for members of the fire and emergency re8 sponse community on matters relating to the administra9 tion of grants under sections 33 and 34 of the Federal 

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

11 and 2229a). 

12 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator of the Fed13 eral Emergency Management Agency shall ensure that 

14 any training developed and made available under sub15 section (a) is— 

16 (1) tailored to the financial and time con17 straints of members of the fire and emergency re18 sponse community; and 

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

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

21 emergency response community. 


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1 SEC. 6. FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING 

2 OF THE ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS 

3 GRANTS PROGRAM, THE FIRE PREVENTION 

4 AND SAFETY GRANTS PROGRAM, AND THE 

5 STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMER6 GENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM. 

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

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

9 Federal Emergency Management Agency, acting through 

10 the Administrator of the United States Fire Administra11 tion, shall develop and implement a grant monitoring and 

12 oversight framework to mitigate and minimize risks of 

13 fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement relating to the 

14 grants programs under sections 33 and 34 of the Federal 

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

16 and 2229a). 

17 (b) ELEMENTS.—The framework required under sub18 section (a) shall include the following: 

19 (1) Developing standardized guidance and 

20 training for all participants in the grant programs 

21 described in subsection (a). 

22 (2) Conducting regular risk assessments. 

23 (3) Conducting desk reviews and site visits. 

24 (4) Enforcement actions to recoup potential 

25 questionable costs of grant recipients. 


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1 (5) Such other oversight and monitoring tools 

2 as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

3 Management Agency considers necessary to mitigate 

4 and minimize fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanage5 ment relating to the grant programs described in 

6 subsection (a). 

Æ 


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