TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
PROBLEM: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Firefighters Special Operation Task 
Force Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR FIREFIGHTING TASK FORCES.

    The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2201 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 37. ASSISTANCE FOR FIREFIGHTING TASK FORCES.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Critical infrastructure.--The term `critical 
        infrastructure' has the meaning given that term in section 
        1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001 
        (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
            ``(2) Firefighting personnel.--The term `firefighting 
        personnel' has the meaning given that term in section 33(a).
            ``(3) Incident response.--The term `incident response' 
        means a response by a task force or task force unit to--
                    ``(A) a terrorist attack, including such an attack 
                that utilizes a weapon of mass destruction;
                    ``(B) a release of a hazardous material;
                    ``(C) a natural disaster; or
                    ``(D) any other emergency for which a response by a 
                fire service is appropriate.
            ``(4) Member.--The term `member', with respect to a task 
        force, means a fire service that is a party to the cooperative 
        agreement establishing the task force.
            ``(5) Task force.--The term `task force' means 2 or more 
        fire services that collectively consist of at least 50 
        firefighting personnel, operating pursuant to a cooperative 
        agreement for the purpose of coordinating incident response 
        among such fire services.
    ``(b) Grant Authority.--The Administrator may award not more than 
100 grants for task forces each fiscal year for the purposes described 
in subsection (c).
    ``(c) Purposes.--A grant awarded under this section shall be used--
            ``(1) to provide salary and benefits to hire firefighting 
        personnel or rehire firefighting personnel who have been laid 
        off to provide services to the task force, including salary and 
        benefits;
            ``(2) to pay expenses related to the participation of 
        firefighting personnel in appropriate training courses;
            ``(3) to provide training related to incident response to 
        firefighting personnel;
            ``(4) to obtain appropriate equipment, including 
        firefighting vehicles or support systems for members of the 
        task force;
            ``(5) to improve the ability of a member of a task force to 
        communicate with a local police department or hospital, or with 
        any other appropriate governmental or private sector entity; 
        and
            ``(6) to ensure the compatibility and interoperability of 
        training and equipment with those obtained by other task 
        forces.
    ``(d) Application Guidance.--The Administrator shall make available 
to potential applicants for assistance under this section a description 
of a model task force configuration, which shall include--
            ``(1) an administrative unit, consisting of 2 chief 
        officers, 2 captains, and 2 lieutenants, to coordinate training 
        programs, logistics, and maintenance of equipment, which shall 
        operate at least 40 hours per week;
            ``(2) a command unit, consisting of 1 chief officer serving 
        as the task force commander and 1 firefighter serving as 
        communications coordinator, which shall operate at all times;
            ``(3) at least 1 hazardous materials company, consisting of 
        1 company officer and 5 firefighters, which shall operate at 
        all times;
            ``(4) at least 1 rescue company, consisting of 1 company 
        officer and 5 firefighters, which shall operate at all times; 
        and
            ``(5) 6 squad companies, each consisting of 1 company 
        officer and 5 firefighters, which shall operate at all times, 
        and which may serve, as appropriate, as a hazardous materials 
        company or rescue company as described in paragraphs (3) and 
        (4).
    ``(e) Application Requirements.--Each task force desiring 
assistance under this section shall submit an application to the 
Administrator at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
information as the Administrator may reasonably require. In order to 
qualify for a grant, an applicant's proposal shall provide for--
            ``(1) prompt incident response;
            ``(2) a unified command system;
            ``(3) common training and equipment for task force members;
            ``(4) maximum coverage in the task force region, taking 
        into account population, business centers, vital 
        infrastructures, transportation corridors, and government 
        centers; and
            ``(5) preservation during the life of the grant of the 
        overall personnel level for each fire service, at least at the 
        level in effect at the time the application was submitted.
    ``(f) Selection Priority.--In selecting a task force to receive 
assistance under this section, the Administrator shall give priority to 
task forces that serve a geographic area that--
            ``(1) has a high population density; or
            ``(2) is located not more than 50 miles from--
                    ``(A) a facility that produces nuclear power;
                    ``(B) a large facility that produces, treats, or 
                refines chemicals or petroleum products;
                    ``(C) a business district of national significance; 
                or
                    ``(D) a location with one or more critical 
                infrastructures.
    ``(g) Matching Requirement.--The Administrator may provide 
assistance to a Task Force under this section for a fiscal year only if 
the task force agrees to obtain from non-Federal sources for such 
fiscal year at least 55 percent of the costs of the task force. The 
non-Federal contributions may be in-kind contributions, including 
personnel, personnel overtime, vehicles, equipment, administrative 
costs, fuel, maintenance, contractor services, and rental space.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this section such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2016.''.

SOLUTION: Firefighters Special Operation Task Force Act - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration to award up to 100 grants for task forces (two or more fire services that collectively consist of at least 50 firefighting personnel, operating under a cooperative agreement to coordinate incident response) each fiscal year for: (1) salary and benefits to hire firefighting personnel; (2) training; (3) equipment or support systems; (4) communications between task force members and a local police department or hospital or with any other appropriate governmental or private sector entity; and (5) compatibility and interoperability of training and equipment.

Requires the Administrator to give priority to task forces serving geographic areas that have a high population density or that are located within 50 miles of: (1) a nuclear power facility; (2) a large facility that produces, treats, or refines chemicals or petroleum products; (3) a business district of national significance; or (4) a location with one or more critical infrastructures.

Requires grantees to obtain non-federal matching funds of at least 55% of the amount awarded by the Administrator for each fiscal year.

PROBLEM: SECTION 1. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT; LIABILITY PROTECTIONS FOR HEALTH-
              CENTER PRACTITIONERS PROVIDING SERVICES IN EMERGENCY 
              AREAS.

    (a) In General.--Section 224(g) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 233(g)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking ``subparagraph 
        (C)'' and inserting ``subparagraph (C) and paragraph (6)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following paragraph:
    ``(6)(A) Subject to subparagraph (C), paragraph (1)(B)(ii) applies 
to health services provided to individuals who are not patients of the 
entity involved if, as determined under criteria issued by the 
Secretary, the following conditions are met:
            ``(i) The services are provided by a contractor or employee 
        of the entity who is a physician or other licensed or certified 
        health care practitioner and who is otherwise deemed to be an 
        employee for purposes of paragraph (1)(A) when providing 
        services with respect to the entity.
            ``(ii) The services are provided in an emergency area (as 
        defined in subparagraph (D)).
            ``(iii) The services of the contractor or employee 
        (referred to in this paragraph as the `out-of-area 
        practitioner') are provided under an arrangement with--
                    ``(I) an entity that is deemed to be an employee 
                for purposes of paragraph (1)(A) and that serves the 
                emergency area involved (referred to in this paragraph 
                as an `emergency-area entity)'; or
                    ``(II) a Federal agency that has responsibilities 
                regarding the provision of health services in such area 
                during the emergency.
            ``(iv) The purposes of the arrangement are--
                    ``(I) to coordinate, to the extent practicable, the 
                provision of health services in the emergency area by 
                the out-of-area practitioner with the provision of 
                services by the emergency-area entity, or by the 
                Federal agency, as the case may be;
                    ``(II) to identify a location in the emergency area 
                to which such practitioner should report for purposes 
                of providing health services, and to identify an 
                individual or individuals in the area to whom the 
                practitioner should report for such purposes; and
                    ``(III) to verify the identity of the practitioner 
                and that the practitioner is licensed or certified by 
                one or more of the States.
            ``(v) With respect to the licensure or certification of 
        health care practitioners, the provision of services by the 
        out-of-area practitioner in the emergency area is not a 
        violation of the law of the State in which the area is located.
    ``(B) In issuing criteria under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
shall take into account the need to rapidly enter into arrangements 
under such subparagraph in order to provide health services in 
emergency areas promptly after the emergency begins.
    ``(C) Subparagraph (A) applies with respect to an act or omission 
of an out-of-area practitioner only to the extent that the practitioner 
is not immune from liability for such act or omission under the 
Volunteer Protection Act of 1997.
    ``(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `emergency area' 
means a geographic area for which--
            ``(i) the Secretary has made a determination under section 
        319 that a public health emergency exists; or
            ``(ii) a presidential declaration of major disaster has 
        been issued under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--With respect to paragraph (6) of section 
224(g) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by subsection (a) of 
this section:
            (1) Except as provided in this subsection, an arrangement 
        under subparagraph (A)(iii) of such paragraph (6) is deemed to 
        be in effect for any health professional who, within the 
        meaning of such paragraph--
                    (A) is an employee or contractor of a health center 
                under section 330 of such Act; and
                    (B) served or is serving as an out-of-area 
                practitioner in any emergency area declared as a result 
                of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita.
            (2) Such paragraph (6) is deemed to have taken effect on 
        August 27, 2005, for purposes of paragraph (1) of this 
        subsection. Such paragraph (6) otherwise takes effect on the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Paragraph (1) of this subsection applies until the 
        expiration of the 48-hour period beginning on the date on which 
        the Secretary of Health and Human Services publishes in the 
        Federal Register a notice that the applicability of such 
        paragraph is being terminated.

SOLUTION: Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem certain physicians or other licensed or certified health care practitioners to be employees of the Public Health Service for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to services provided in an emergency area by a contractor or an employee of a qualified health center. Provides that such services must be provided under an arrangement with a qualified health center or with a federal agency with responsibility for providing health services in the emergency area.

PROBLEM: SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that, in carrying out title I of the 
Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this Act as the 
``Administrator'') has failed to--
            (1) adequately consider alternative programs to centralized 
        vehicle emission testing programs, as required by section 
        182(c)(3)(C)(vi) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 7511a(c)(3)(C)(vi)); 
        and
            (2) provide adequate credit to States for the alternative 
        programs.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to require the 
Administrator to--
            (1) reassess the determinations of the Administrator with 
        respect to the equivalency of centralized and decentralized 
        programs under section 182(c)(3)(C)(vi) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        7511a(c)(3)(C)(vi)); and
            (2) issue new regulations governing the programs that--
                    (A) result in minimum disruption to the ability of 
                States to comply with other requirements of such Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.); and
                    (B) provide States a reasonable opportunity to 
                comply with the new regulations and implement 
                decentralized testing programs.

SEC. 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF ENHANCED VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a 
State shall not be required to implement an enhanced vehicle inspection 
and maintenance program under section 182(c)(3) of the Clean Air Act 
(42 U.S.C. 7511a(c)(3)) prior to March 1, 1996.
    (b) Reassessment of Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall--
                    (A) immediately rescind the regulations issued on 
                November 5, 1992 (57 Fed. Reg. 52950), relating to 
                operation of the program described in subsection (a) on 
                a centralized basis; and
                    (B) during the period beginning on the date of 
                enactment of this Act and ending on March 1, 1996--
                            (i) reassess the determinations made by the 
                        Administrator with respect to operation of the 
                        program described in subsection (a) on a 
                        centralized basis, taking into consideration 
                        comments submitted by States; and
                            (ii) issue new regulations relating to 
                        operation of the program described in 
                        subsection (a) on a centralized basis or 
                        decentralized basis, at the option of each 
                        State.
            (2) Requirements.--The regulations issued under paragraph 
        (1)(B)(ii) shall--
                    (A) in accordance with the intent of section 
                182(c)(3)(C)(vi) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
                7511a(c)(3)(C)(vi))--
                            (i) make reasonably available to States the 
                        option of operation of the program described in 
                        subsection (a) on a decentralized basis; and
                            (ii) establish criteria that a State must 
                        meet in order to demonstrate that a 
                        decentralized program of the State is equally 
                        effective as a centralized program; and
                    (B)(i) provide each State a reasonable opportunity 
                to submit (at the option of the State) a new revision 
                to a plan under section 182(c)(3) of such Act (42 
                U.S.C. 7511a(c)(3)) based on the new regulations, which 
                revision shall replace any revision to a plan 
                previously submitted by the State under section 
                182(c)(3) of such Act; and
                    (ii) include a schedule that provides States a 
                reasonable opportunity to implement any new revisions 
                to plans that they submit.
            (3) Judicial review.--Notwithstanding section 706 of title 
        5, United States Code, or any other provision of law, if the 
        regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1)(B)(ii) are 
        reviewed by a court, the court shall hold unlawful and set 
        aside the regulations if the regulations are found to be 
        unsupported by a preponderance of the evidence.
    (c) Prohibition on Imposition of Sanctions.--Until such time as the 
Administrator has carried out subsection (b)(1)--
            (1) the Administrator may not issue a finding, disapproval, 
        or determination under section 179(a) of the Clean Air Act (42 
        U.S.C. 7509(a)), or apply a sanction specified in section 
        179(b) of such Act, to a State with respect to a failure to 
        implement a program described in subsection (a), or any portion 
        of such a program; and
            (2) the Administrator and the Administrator of the Federal 
        Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation may 
        not take any adverse action, against a State with respect to a 
        failure described in paragraph (1), under--
                    (A) section 176 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
                7506);
                    (B) chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code;
                    (C) subpart T of part 51, or subpart A of part 93, 
                of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (commonly 
                known as the ``transportation conformity rule''); or
                    (D) part 6, 51, or 93 of title 40, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (commonly known as the ``general conformity 
                rule'').
    (d) Full Credit for Decentralized Programs.--Until such time as the 
Administrator has carried out subsection (b)(1), for the purpose of the 
attainment demonstration and the reasonable further progress 
demonstration required under section 182(c)(2) of the Clean Air Act (42 
U.S.C. 7511a(c)(2)), the Administrator shall--
            (1) deem that the emission reductions calculated by States 
        for inspection and maintenance under their State implementation 
        plans would be achieved as if the planned program had been 
        implemented; or
            (2) if appropriate, consider the operation of the program 
        described in subsection (a) on a decentralized basis as 
        equivalent to the operation of the program on a centralized 
        basis in any case in which a State demonstrates that a 
        determination of such an equivalency is reasonable.

SOLUTION:
Provides that States will not be required to implement enhanced vehicle inspection and maintenance programs under the Clean Air Act prior to March 1, 1996. 
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately rescind regulations relating to the operation of such programs on a centralized basis and issue new regulations to allow the operation of such programs on a centralized or decentralized basis at the option of each State. 
Prohibits, until the Administrator carries out such requirements, the imposition of sanctions for failures by States to implement such programs or specified adverse actions against States by the Administrator or the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. 
Requires the Administrator to:  (1) deem that emissions reductions calculated by States for inspection and maintenance under State implementation plans would be achieved as if the planned program had been implemented; or (2) consider the operation of the program on a decentralized basis as equivalent to operation on a centralized basis if the State demonstrates that such equivalency is reasonable.