I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3260 

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

an extraordinary financial burden resulting from the deployment of employees. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 25, 2011 

Mr. ROSS of Arkansas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 

Committees on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

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’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FIRST RESPONDER AGENCY GRANTS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title XX of the Homeland Secu3 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by 

4 adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘Subtitle C—Other Assistance 

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

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

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

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

10 States Code; 

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

12 means a first responder agency for which the cost of 

13 personnel of the agency has increased by not less 

14 than 5 percent as a direct result of 1 or more em15 ployees of the agency who are reservists being placed 

16 on active duty; 

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

18 ‘‘(A) means— 

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

20 service (as defined in section 4 of the Fed21 eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 

22 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203)) of a State or local 

23 government; or 

24 ‘‘(ii) a publicly or privately operated 

25 ambulance service that is— 


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1 ‘‘(I) authorized or licensed by a 

2 State to engage in rescue activity or 

3 to provide emergency medical services; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(II) designated by a State as a 

6 prehospital emergency medical re7 sponse agency; and 

8 ‘‘(B) shall not include a for-profit organi9 zation; and 

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

11 reserve component of the Armed Forces, as defined 

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

13 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

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

15 the Administrator may make a grant to an eligible 

16 first responder agency for the additional costs in17 curred by the eligible first responder agency as a di18 rect result of 1 or more employees of the agency or 

19 service who are reservists being placed on active 

20 duty. 

21 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED PO22 SITIONS.—The Administrator may not make a grant 

23 under this section for costs relating to an employee 

24 being placed on active duty if Federal funds are 


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

2 the employee. 

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

4 all grants made under this section to an eligible first 

5 responder agency in any fiscal year may not exceed 

6 $100,000. 

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

8 The authority of the Administrator to make a grant 

9 under this section shall terminate 3 years after the 

10 date of enactment of this section. 

11 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

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

13 may be used for— 

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

15 hired to replace an employee placed on active 

16 duty that are in addition to any pay and bene17 fits that would have been provided to the de18 ployed employee; 

19 ‘‘(B) overtime expenses for an employee 

20 who performs tasks that would have been per21 formed by an employee placed on active duty; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(C) the costs associated with filling a va24 cancy created by an employee placed on active 

25 duty, including costs for advertising, interVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:42 Oct 26, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3260.IH H3260

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1 viewing, performing background investigations, 

2 employment training, and hiring bonuses and 

3 incentives. 

4 ‘‘(2) TIME PERIOD FOR REIMBURSABLE EX5 PENSES.—An eligible first responder agency that re6 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

7 funds to cover expenses incurred during the period 

8 that begins 90 days before the deployment of an em9 ployee of the agency and ends on the date on which 

10 the employee returns to fully paid employment sta11 tus. 

12 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible first re14 sponder agency desiring a grant under this section 

15 shall submit an application to the Administrator at 

16 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

17 such information as the Administrator may reason18 ably require. 

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

20 under paragraph (1) shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) describe the activities for which as22 sistance under this section is sought; and 

23 ‘‘(B) provide documentation that dem24 onstrates that the first responder agency meets 

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


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

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 

3 $5,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal years 2012 

4 through 2014.’’. 

5 (b) REPORTING.— 

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

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

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

9 section 2041 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

10 as added by subsection (a). 

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

12 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

13 the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 

14 submit to Congress a report regarding the placing 

15 on active duty of employees of first responder agen16 cies that are reservists, including an evaluation of— 

17 (A) the effects, including financial effects, 

18 of placing the employees on active duty on— 

19 (i) the operation of the first responder 

20 agencies; and 

21 (ii) the services the first responder 

22 agencies provide to the communities served 

23 by the first responder agencies; and 

24 (B) first responder agency grants under 

25 section 2041 of the Homeland Security Act of 


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1 2002, as added by subsection (a), including the 

2 effect of the grants on— 

3 (i) the operation of the first responder 

4 agencies; and 

5 (ii) the services the first responder 

6 agencies provide to the communities served 

7 by the first responder agencies. 

8 (c) OFFSET.—Section 1532(k)(1)(D) of the Imple9 menting Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 

10 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1182(k)(1)(D)) is amended by striking 

11 ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$20,000,000’’. 

12 (d) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

13 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Se14 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by 

15 adding at the end the following: 

‘‘Subtitle C—Other Assistance 

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

Æ 


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