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PROBLEM: SECTION 1. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE.

    The first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 33. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE.

    ``(a) Definition of Firefighting Personnel.--In this section, the 
term `firefighting personnel' means individuals, including volunteers, 
who are firefighters, officers of fire departments, or emergency 
medical service personnel of fire departments.
    ``(b) Assistance Program.--
            ``(1) Authority.--In accordance with this section, the 
        Administrator may--
                    ``(A) make grants on a competitive basis directly 
                to fire departments of a State, in consultation with 
                the chief executive of the State, for the purpose of 
                protecting the health and safety of the public, 
                firefighting personnel, and property against fire and 
                fire-related hazards; and
                    ``(B) provide assistance for fire prevention 
                programs in accordance with paragraph (4).
            ``(2) Office for administration of assistance.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--Before providing assistance 
                under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall establish 
                an office in the Administration to administer the 
                assistance under this section.
                    ``(B) Included duties.--The duties of the office 
                shall include the following:
                            ``(i) Recipient selection criteria.--To 
                        establish specific criteria for the selection 
                        of recipients of the assistance under this 
                        section, including a requirement for peer 
                        review of the selection process.
                            ``(ii) Grant-writing assistance.--To 
                        provide grant-writing assistance to applicants.
            ``(3) Use of fire department grant funds.--The 
        Administrator may make a grant under paragraph (1)(A) only if 
        the applicant for the grant agrees to use the grant funds for 
        one or more of the following purposes:
                    ``(A) To hire additional firefighting personnel.
                    ``(B) To train firefighting personnel in 
                firefighting, emergency response (including response to 
                a terrorism incident or use of a weapon of mass 
                destruction), arson prevention and detection, or the 
                handling of hazardous materials, or to train 
                firefighting personnel to provide any of the training 
                described in this subparagraph.
                    ``(C) To fund the creation of rapid intervention 
                teams to protect firefighting personnel at the scenes 
                of fires and other emergencies.
                    ``(D) To certify fire inspectors.
                    ``(E) To establish wellness and fitness programs 
                for firefighting personnel to ensure that the 
                firefighting personnel can carry out their duties.
                    ``(F) To fund emergency medical services provided 
                by fire departments.
                    ``(G) To acquire additional firefighting vehicles, 
                including fire trucks.
                    ``(H) To acquire additional firefighting equipment, 
                including equipment for communications, monitoring, and 
                response to a terrorism incident or use of a weapon of 
                mass destruction.
                    ``(I) To acquire personal protective equipment 
                required for firefighting personnel by the Occupational 
                Safety and Health Administration, and other personal 
                protective equipment for firefighting personnel, 
                including protective equipment to respond to a 
                terrorism incident or the use of a weapon of mass 
                destruction.
                    ``(J) To modify fire stations, fire training 
                facilities, and other facilities to protect the health 
                and safety of firefighting personnel.
                    ``(K) To enforce fire codes.
                    ``(L) To fund fire prevention programs.
                    ``(M) To educate the public about arson prevention 
                and detection.
                    ``(N) To provide incentives for the recruitment and 
                retention of volunteer firefighting personnel for 
                volunteer firefighting departments and other 
                firefighting departments that utilize volunteers, 
                including funding to enable training described in 
                subparagraph (B).
            ``(4) Fire prevention programs.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For each fiscal year, the 
                Administrator shall use not less than 5 percent of the 
                funds made available under subsection (e)--
                            ``(i) to make grants to fire departments 
                        for the purpose described in paragraph (3)(L); 
                        and
                            ``(ii) to make grants to, or enter into 
                        contracts or cooperative agreements with, 
                        national, State, local, or community 
                        organizations that are recognized for their 
                        experience and expertise with respect to fire 
                        prevention or fire safety programs and 
                        activities, for the purpose of carrying out 
                        fire prevention programs.
                    ``(B) Priority.--In selecting organizations 
                described in subparagraph (A)(ii) to receive assistance 
                under this paragraph, the Administrator shall give 
                priority to organizations that focus on prevention of 
                injuries to children from fire.
            ``(5) Application.--The Administrator may provide 
        assistance to a fire department or organization under this 
        subsection only if the fire department or organization seeking 
        the assistance submits to the Administrator an application that 
        meets the following requirements:
                    ``(A) Form.--The application shall be in such form 
                as the Administrator may require.
                    ``(B) Information.--The application shall include 
                the following information:
                            ``(i) Financial need.--Information that 
                        demonstrates the financial need of the 
                        applicant for the assistance for which applied. 
                        In allocating funds under this section, the 
                        Administrator shall not discriminate against an 
                        applicant whose funding jurisdiction places a 
                        high budget priority on fire department needs.
                            ``(ii) Cost-benefit analysis.--An analysis 
                        of the costs and benefits, with respect to 
                        public safety, of the use of the assistance.
                            ``(iii) Reporting systems data.--An 
                        agreement to provide information to the 
                        national fire incident reporting system for the 
                        period covered by the assistance.
                            ``(iv) Other information.--Any other 
                        information that the Administrator may require.
            ``(6) Non-federal contribution.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Administrator may provide assistance under this 
                subsection only if the applicant for the assistance 
                agrees to provide 30 percent of the cost of the 
                purposes for which the assistance is sought under this 
                subsection in non-Federal funds for any fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Requirement for small community 
                organizations.--In the case of an applicant whose 
                personnel serve jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer 
residents, the required non-Federal contribution under subparagraph (A) 
shall be 10 percent.
            ``(7) Maintenance of expenditures.--The Administrator may 
        provide assistance under this subsection only if the applicant 
        for the assistance agrees to maintain in the fiscal year for 
        which the assistance will be received the applicant's aggregate 
        expenditures for the uses described in paragraph (3) or (4) at 
        or above the average level of such expenditures in the two 
        fiscal years preceding the fiscal year for which the assistance 
        will be received.
            ``(8) Report to the administrator.--The Administrator may 
        provide assistance under this subsection only if the applicant 
        for the assistance agrees to submit to the Administrator a 
        report, including a description of how the assistance was used, 
        with respect to each fiscal year for which the assistance was 
        received.
            ``(9) Variety of fire department grant recipients.--The 
        Administrator shall ensure that grants under paragraph (1)(A) 
        for a fiscal year are made to a variety of fire departments, 
        including, to the extent that there are eligible applicants--
                    ``(A) career, volunteer, and combination fire 
                departments;
                    ``(B) fire departments located in communities of 
                varying sizes; and
                    ``(C) fire departments located in urban, suburban, 
                and rural communities.
            ``(10) Grant limitations.--
                    ``(A) Recipient limitation.--A grant recipient 
                under this section may not receive more than $750,000 
                under this section for any fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Limitation on expenditures for firefighting 
                vehicles.--Not more than 25 percent of the funds 
                appropriated to provide grants under this section for a 
                fiscal year may be used to assist grant recipients to 
                purchase vehicles, as authorized by paragraph (3)(G).
            ``(11) Reservation of grant funds for volunteer 
        departments.--In making grants to firefighting departments, the 
        Administrator shall ensure that those firefighting departments 
        that have either all-volunteer forces of firefighting personnel 
        or combined forces of volunteer and career firefighting 
        personnel collectively receive at least a proportion of the 
        total grant funding that equals the proportion of the United 
        States population that those firefighting departments protect.
    ``(c) Audits.--A recipient of a grant under this section shall be 
subject to audits to ensure that the grant proceeds are expended for 
the intended purposes and that the grant recipient complies with the 
requirements of paragraphs (6) and (7) of subsection (b).
    ``(d) State Defined.--In this section, the term `State' includes 
the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to the Administrator $900,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
        2002 through 2004 for the purposes of this section.
            ``(2) Administrative expenses.--Of the funds appropriated 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Administrator 
        may use not more than five percent of the funds to cover 
        salaries and expenses and other administrative costs incurred 
        by the Administrator to operate the office established under 
        subsection (b)(2) and make grants and provide assistance under 
        this section.''.

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

    The second section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2230) and section 34 of that Act (15 U.S.C. 
2231) are redesignated as sections 34 and 35, respectively.

SOLUTION: Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 with respect to competitive grants to fire departments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) U.S. Fire Administration. Adds protection of property to the list of grant purposes.Requires the grant administration office to require peer review of the grant recipient selection process.Adds funding for training as a volunteer recruitment and retention incentive among the proper uses of grant funds.

PROBLEM: SECTION 1. BAN ON DISCLOSURE OF MEDICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE INFORMATION.

    Subsection (a) of section 5705 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(a)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2)(A) Except as provided in subsection (b), no part of any 
medical quality assurance record or document described in subsection 
(a)(1) may be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in any 
judicial or administrative proceeding.
    ``(B) An individual who reviews or creates medical quality 
assurance records or documents for the Department or who participates 
in any proceeding that reviews or creates such records or documents may 
not be permitted or required to testify in any judicial or 
administrative proceeding with respect to such records or documents or 
with respect to any finding, recommendation, evaluation, opinion, or 
action taken by such person in connection with such records or 
documents except as provided in this section.''.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE AUTHORITY.

    (a) Clarification of Coverage.--Subsection (b)(1) of section 5705 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out ``or 
document'' in the matter above subparagraph (A) and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``, document, or testimony''.
    (b) Disclosure for Professional Use.--Such subsection is further 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(E) In an administrative or judicial proceeding commenced 
        by a criminal or civil law enforcement agency or 
        instrumentality referred to in subparagraph (C), but only 
        concerning the subject of such proceeding.
            ``(F) To a governmental board or agency or to a 
        professional health care society or organization, if such 
        record or document is needed by the board, agency, society, or 
        organization to issue a professional license or credential to 
        or to monitor the compliance with professional standards of any 
        health care provider who is or was an employee of the 
        Department.
            ``(G) To a hospital, medical center, or other institution 
        that provides health care services, if such record or document 
        is needed by the institution to assess the professional 
        qualifications of any health care provider who is or was an 
        employee of the Department and who has applied for or been 
        granted authority or employment to provide health care services 
        in or on behalf of such institution.
            ``(H) To an administrative or judicial proceeding commenced 
        by a present or former Department health care provider 
        concerning the termination, suspension or limitation of the 
        clinical privileges of such health care provider, or concerning 
        any adverse action involving such health care provider, but 
        only to the extent that such records or documents relate to the 
        clinical conduct or performance of the individual who has 
        commenced the action.''.
    (c) Removal of Identities.--Subsection (b)(2) of such section is 
amended by striking out ``if disclosure'' and all that follows through 
``personal privacy'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``subparagraphs 
(1)(A) and (1)(B) of this subsection''.

SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON DISCLOSURE.

    Paragraph (3) of section 5705(b) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(3) A person or entity having possession of, or access to, 
information, records, or documents, or testimony relating thereto, that 
is subject to the provisions of this section may not disclose such 
information, records, or documents, or any testimony relating thereto, 
in any manner or for any purpose except for a purpose as provided in 
this subsection. No person or entity to whom a record or document has 
been disclosed under this subsection shall make further disclosure of 
such record or document except for a purpose provided in this 
subsection.''.

SEC. 4. ACCESS TO RECORDS.

    Subsection (b) of section 5705 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(7) Medical quality assurance records and documents described in 
subsection (a) which are subject to section 552a of title 5 may not be 
disclosed in accordance with that section except to the extent that 
such disclosure is also authorized under this section.
    ``(8) Medical quality assurance records or documents described in 
subsection (a) which are also subject to section 552a of title 5--
            ``(A) shall not be subject to the access provisions of such 
        section 552a to the extent that such access would reveal the 
        identities of participants in the quality assurance process 
        which generated the records or documents; and
            ``(B) are not subject to the amendment provisions of such 
        section 552a.
    ``(9) Medical quality assurance records and documents described in 
subsection (a) may not be made available to any person under section 
552 of title 5.''.

SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.

    Subsection (d)(2) of section 5705 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by striking out ``specified in'' and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``accomplished in accordance with''.

SOLUTION: Prohibits Department of Veterans Affairs medical quality assurance records from being subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in any judicial or administrative proceeding.  Prohibits an individual who participates in the production of such records from being required to testify at such a proceeding. 
Allows testimony concerning such records (currently, only the records or documents themselves) to be disclosed to Federal agencies for certain limited purposes (licensing, accreditation).  Specifies additional uses for which such information may be disclosed. 
Includes information and testimony related to such records within certain disclosure limitation provisions. 
Prohibits the disclosure of such records by the Department as public information to the extent that such disclosure would reveal the identities of the participants in the quality assurance process which generated the records or documents.

PROBLEM: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Government Shutdown Prevention 
Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO TITLE 31.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1310 the following new section:
``Sec. 1311. Continuing appropriations
    ``(a)(1) If any regular appropriation bill for a fiscal year does 
not become law prior to the beginning of such fiscal year or a joint 
resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect, there is 
appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, 
receipts, and funds, such sums as may be necessary to continue any 
project or activity for which funds were provided in the preceding 
fiscal year--
            ``(A) in the corresponding regular appropriation Act for 
        such preceding fiscal year; or
            ``(B) if the corresponding regular appropriation bill for 
        such preceding fiscal year did not become law, then in a joint 
        resolution making continuing appropriations for such preceding 
        fiscal year.
    ``(2) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year pursuant to this 
section shall be at a rate of operations not in excess of the lower 
of--
            ``(A) the rate of operations provided for in the regular 
        appropriation Act providing for such project or activity for 
        the preceding fiscal year;
            ``(B) in the absence of such an Act, the rate of operations 
        provided for such project or activity pursuant to a joint 
        resolution making continuing appropriations for such preceding 
        fiscal year;
            ``(C) the rate provided in the budget submission of the 
        President under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
        Code, for the applicable fiscal year; or
            ``(D) the annualized rate of operations provided for in the 
        most recently enacted joint resolution making continuing 
        appropriations for part of that fiscal year or any funding 
        levels established under the provisions of this Act.
    ``(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this section for a project or 
activity shall be available for the period beginning with the first day 
of a lapse in appropriations and ending on the earlier of--
            ``(A) the date on which the applicable regular 
        appropriation bill for such fiscal year becomes law (whether or 
        not such law provides for such project or activity) or a 
        continuing resolution making appropriations becomes law, as the 
        case may be; or
            ``(B) the last day of such fiscal year.
    ``(b) An appropriation or funds made available, or authority 
granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year pursuant to this 
section shall be subject to the terms and conditions imposed with 
respect to the appropriation made or funds made available for the 
preceding fiscal year, or authority granted for such project or 
activity under current law.
    ``(c) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
granted, for any project or activity for any fiscal year pursuant to 
this section shall cover all obligations or expenditures incurred for 
such project or activity during the portion of such fiscal year for 
which this section applies to such project or activity.
    ``(d) Expenditures made for a project or activity for any fiscal 
year pursuant to this section shall be charged to the applicable 
appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a regular appropriation 
bill or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations until the 
end of a fiscal year providing for such project or activity for such 
period becomes law.
    ``(e) This section shall not apply to a project or activity during 
a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other than an 
authorization of appropriations)--
            ``(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds available, or 
        grants authority for such project or activity to continue for 
        such period; or
            ``(2) specifically provides that no appropriation shall be 
        made, no funds shall be made available, or no authority shall 
        be granted for such project or activity to continue for such 
        period.
    ``(f) In this section, the term `regular appropriation bill' means 
any annual appropriation bill making appropriations, otherwise making 
funds available, or granting authority, for any of the following 
categories of projects and activities:
            ``(1) Agriculture, rural development, and related agencies 
        programs.
            ``(2) The Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the 
        judiciary, and related agencies.
            ``(3) The Department of Defense.
            ``(4) The government of the District of Columbia and other 
        activities chargeable in whole or in part against the revenues 
        of the District.
            ``(5) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, 
        and Education, and related agencies.
            ``(6) The Department of Housing and Urban Development, and 
        sundry independent agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, 
        and offices.
            ``(7) Energy and water development.
            ``(8) Foreign assistance and related programs.
            ``(9) The Department of the Interior and related agencies.
            ``(10) Military construction.
            ``(11) The Department of Transportation and related 
        agencies.
            ``(12) The Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, 
        the Executive Office of the President, and certain independent 
        agencies.
            ``(13) The legislative branch.''.
    (b) Technical Amendment.--The analysis of chapter 13 of title 31, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1310 the following:

``1311. Continuing appropriations.''.
    (c) Protection of Other Obligations.--Nothing in the amendments 
made by this section shall be construed to effect Government 
obligations mandated by other law, including obligations with respect 
to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE AND SUNSET.

    (a) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply 
with respect to fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2000.
    (b) Sunset.--The amendments made by this Act shall sunset and have 
no force or effect after fiscal year 2001.

SOLUTION:
Government Shutdown Prevention Act - Provides for continuing appropriations at the beginning of a fiscal year if any regular appropriations bill does not become law prior to such time.