II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 568 

To establish a pilot grant program for first responder agencies that experience 

an extraordinary financial burden resulting from the deployment of employees. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 14, 2011 

Mr. PRYOR (for himself, Mr. CONRAD, Mr. LEAHY, and Mr. TESTER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish a pilot grant program for first responder agencies that experience an extraordinary financial burden 

resulting from the deployment of employees. 

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 ‘‘Strengthening Commu5 nity Safety Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FIRST RESPONDER AGENCY GRANTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title XX of the Homeland Secu8 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by 

9 adding at the end the following: 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 568 IS

1 ‘‘Subtitle C—Other Assistance 

2 ‘‘SEC. 2041. FIRST RESPONDER AGENCY GRANTS. 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

4 ‘‘(1) the term ‘active duty’ has the meaning 

5 given that term in section 101 of title 10, United 

6 States Code; 

7 ‘‘(2) the term ‘eligible first responder agency’ 

8 means a first responder agency for which the cost of 

9 personnel of the agency has increased by not less 

10 than 5 percent as a direct result of 1 or more em11 ployees of the agency who are reservists being placed 

12 on active duty; 

13 ‘‘(3) the term ‘first responder agency’— 

14 ‘‘(A) means— 

15 ‘‘(i) a law enforcement agency or fire 

16 service (as defined in section 4 of the Fed17 eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 

18 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203)) of a State or local 

19 government; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) a publicly or privately operated 

21 ambulance service that is— 

22 ‘‘(I) authorized or licensed by a 

23 State to engage in rescue activity or 

24 to provide emergency medical services; 

25 and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 568 IS

1 ‘‘(II) designated by a State as a 

2 prehospital emergency medical re3 sponse agency; and 

4 ‘‘(B) shall not include a for-profit organi5 zation; and 

6 ‘‘(4) the term ‘reservist’ means a member of a 

7 reserve component of the Armed Forces, as defined 

8 in section 10101 of title 10, United States Code. 

9 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

11 the Administrator may make a grant to an eligible 

12 first responder agency for the additional costs in13 curred by the eligible first responder agency as a di14 rect result of 1 or more employees of the agency or 

15 service who are reservists being placed on active 

16 duty. 

17 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED PO18 SITIONS.—The Administrator may not make a grant 

19 under this section for costs relating to an employee 

20 being placed on active duty if Federal funds are 

21 used, in whole or in part, for the pay or benefits of 

22 the employee. 

23 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The total amount of 

24 all grants made under this section to an eligible first 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 568 IS

1 responder agency in any fiscal year may not exceed 

2 $100,000. 

3 ‘‘(4) TERMINATION OF GRANT AUTHORITY.— 

4 The authority of the Administrator to make a grant 

5 under this section shall terminate 3 years after the 

6 date of enactment of this section. 

7 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

9 may be used for— 

10 ‘‘(A) pay and benefits for an individual 

11 hired to replace an employee placed on active 

12 duty that are in addition to any pay and bene13 fits that would have been provided to the de14 ployed employee; 

15 ‘‘(B) overtime expenses for an employee 

16 who performs tasks that would have been per17 formed by an employee placed on active duty; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(C) the costs associated with filling a va20 cancy created by an employee placed on active 

21 duty, including costs for advertising, inter22 viewing, performing background investigations, 

23 employment training, and hiring bonuses and 

24 incentives. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 568 IS

1 ‘‘(2) TIME PERIOD FOR REIMBURSABLE EX2 PENSES.—An eligible first responder agency that re3 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

4 funds to cover expenses incurred during the period 

5 that begins 90 days before the deployment of an em6 ployee of the agency and ends on the date on which 

7 the employee returns to fully paid employment sta8 tus. 

9 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible first re11 sponder agency desiring a grant under this section 

12 shall submit an application to the Administrator at 

13 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

14 such information as the Administrator may reason15 ably require. 

16 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

17 under paragraph (1) shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) describe the activities for which as19 sistance under this section is sought; and 

20 ‘‘(B) provide documentation that dem21 onstrates that the first responder agency meets 

22 the requirements in subsection (a)(2). 

23 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 568 IS

1 $5,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal years 2012 

2 through 2014.’’. 

3 (b) REPORTING.— 

4 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 

5 terms ‘‘active duty’’, ‘‘first responder agency’’, and 

6 ‘‘reservist’’ have the meanings given those terms in 

7 section 2041 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

8 as added by subsection (a). 

9 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 

12 submit to Congress a report regarding the placing 

13 on active duty of employees of first responder agen14 cies that are reservists, including an evaluation of— 

15 (A) the effects, including financial effects, 

16 of placing the employees on active duty on— 

17 (i) the operation of the first responder 

18 agencies; and 

19 (ii) the services the first responder 

20 agencies provide to the communities served 

21 by the first responder agencies; and 

22 (B) first responder agency grants under 

23 section 2041 of the Homeland Security Act of 

24 2002, as added by subsection (a), including the 

25 effect of the grants on— 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 568 IS

1 (i) the operation of the first responder 

2 agencies; and 

3 (ii) the services the first responder 

4 agencies provide to the communities served 

5 by the first responder agencies. 

6 (c) OFFSET.—Section 1532(k)(1)(D) of the Imple7 menting Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 

8 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1182(k)(1)(D)) is amended by striking 

9 ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$20,000,000’’. 

10 (d) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

11 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Se12 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by 

13 adding at the end the following: 

‘‘Subtitle C—Other Assistance 

‘‘Sec. 2041. First responder agency grants.’’. 

Æ 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS