I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4104 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish and carry out a 
highway emergency responders safety grant program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 18, 2009 
Mr. ELLSWORTH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish and 
carry out a highway emergency responders safety grant 
program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Responders 
Highway Safety Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
HIGHWAY 
EMERGENCY 
RESPONDERS 
SAFETY 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish and carry out a highway emergency 
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responders safety grant program (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘program’’). 
(b) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Secretary is authorized to make grants to non-
profit and not-for-profit organizations (including organiza-
tions partnered with local government entities) for 
projects and activities— 
(1) to increase awareness of State laws that re-
quire a motorist to change lanes or reduce speed if 
passing a highway emergency responder, including 
the penalties for noncompliance with such laws; and 
(2) to provide highway emergency responders 
with training on the prevention of injuries and fa-
talities resulting from roadside collisions. 
(c) ADVISORY GROUP.—In carrying out the program, 
the Secretary shall establish a multidisciplinary advisory 
group to make recommendations relating to program im-
plementation, including recommendations with respect to 
the criteria for awarding grants under the program. The 
advisory group shall include, at a minimum, a member 
from a national organization representing each employ-
ment category specified in subsection (e). 
(d) INCIDENT TRACKING
AND REPORT
TO CON-
GRESS.— 
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(1) INCIDENT TRACKING.—The Secretary shall 
establish and administer an incident reporting sys-
tem to compile information with respect to roadside 
collisions throughout the United States involving 
highway emergency responders. 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than one 
year after the date of enactment of this Act and an-
nually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the number of highway emergency 
responders injured or killed in roadside collisions in 
each State during the year preceding such report 
and on the status and content of State laws relating 
to highway emergency responder safety. 
(e) HIGHWAY EMERGENCY RESPONDER DEFINED.— 
In this section, the term ‘‘highway emergency responder’’ 
means an individual who is any of the following: 
(1) A law enforcement officer. 
(2) A firefighter. 
(3) An emergency medical service provider. 
(4) A maintenance and operations worker. 
(5) A tow truck or recovery operator. 
(f) FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other 
than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this 
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section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 
through 2015. 
(2) 
CONTRACT
AUTHORITY.—Funds 
made 
available to carry out this section shall be available 
for obligation and administered in the same manner 
as if the funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of 
title 23, United States Code. 
Æ 
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