An act to reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program, the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, and for other purposes
PL 115-98 (H.R.4661), enacted 01/03/2018

131 STAT. 2239 
PUBLIC LAW 115–98—JAN. 3, 2018 
Public Law 115–98 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters 
Grants program, the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants program, and the Staffing 
for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Fire Administra-
tion, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRA-
TION. 
Section 17(g)(1)(M) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216 (g)(1)(M)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2017’’ and inserting ‘‘for each 
of fiscal years 2017 through 2023’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘for each such fiscal year’’ after 
‘‘$2,753,672’’. 
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS 
PROGRAM AND THE FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS 
PROGRAM. 
(a) SUNSET.—Section 33(r) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(r)) is amended by striking 
‘‘the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of the 
Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘September 
30, 2024’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 33(q)(1)(B) of 
the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2229(q)(1)(B)) is amended, in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN TRAINING UNDER ASSISTANCE 
TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM.—Section 33(c)(3) of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(c)(3)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(N) To provide specialized training to firefighters, 
paramedics, emergency medical service workers, and other 
first responders to recognize individuals who have mental 
illness and how to properly intervene with individuals with 
mental illness, including strategies for verbal de-escalation 
of crisis.’’. 
United States 
Fire 
Administration, 
AFG, and SAFER 
Program 
Reauthorization 
Act of 2017. 
15 USC 2201 
note. 
Jan. 3, 2018 
[H.R. 4661] 
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131 STAT. 2240 
PUBLIC LAW 115–98—JAN. 3, 2018 
SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND 
EMERGENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) SUNSET.—Section 34(k) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(k)) is amended by striking 
‘‘the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of the 
Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘September 
30, 2024’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 34(j)(1)(I) of 
the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2229a(j)(1)(I)) is amended, in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
(c) MODIFICATION
OF APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Section 
34(b)(3)(B) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2229a(b)(3)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘of subsection 
(a)(1)(B)(ii) and (F)’’ and inserting ‘‘of subsection (a)(1)(F)’’. 
(d) MODIFICATION OF LIMITATION.—Section 34(c)(2) of the Fed-
eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(c)(2)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘prior to the date of enactment of this 
section’’ and inserting ‘‘prior to the date of the application for 
the grant’’. 
(e) MODIFICATION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY.—Section 34(d)(1)(B) 
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2229a(d)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(E) or sub-
section (c)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(E), (c)(2), or (c)(4)’’. 
(f) EXPANSION OF STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMER-
GENCY RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM; REPEAL OF AUTHORITY FOR CER-
TAIN USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS TRANSFERRED TO ASSISTANCE TO 
FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM.—Section 34(a)(1)(B) of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a(a)(1)(B)) 
is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘or to change the status of part-time or 
paid-on-call (as defined in section 33(a)) firefighters to full- 
time firefighters’’ after ‘‘firefighters’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘and to provide’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘of crises’’. 
SEC. 5. TRAINING ON ADMINISTRATION OF FIRE GRANT PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, acting through the Administrator of the 
United States Fire Administration, may develop and make widely 
available an electronic, online training course for members of the 
fire and emergency response community on matters relating to 
the administration of grants under sections 33 and 34 of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229 and 
2229a). 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency shall ensure that any training developed 
and made available under subsection (a) is— 
(1) tailored to the financial and time constraints of mem-
bers of the fire and emergency response community; and 
(2) accessible to all individuals in the career, combination, 
paid-on-call, and volunteer fire and emergency response commu-
nity. 
15 USC 2229 
note. 
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131 STAT. 2241 
PUBLIC LAW 115–98—JAN. 3, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4661: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017): 
Dec. 18, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 21, considered and passed Senate. 
SEC. 6. FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING OF THE 
ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM, THE 
FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS PROGRAM, AND 
THE STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY 
RESPONSE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) FRAMEWORK.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, acting through the Administrator of the 
United States Fire Administration, shall develop and implement 
a grant monitoring and oversight framework to mitigate and mini-
mize risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement relating 
to the grants programs under sections 33 and 34 of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229 and 
2229a). 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The framework required under subsection (a) 
shall include the following: 
(1) Developing standardized guidance and training for all 
participants in the grant programs described in subsection (a). 
(2) Conducting regular risk assessments. 
(3) Conducting desk reviews and site visits. 
(4) Enforcement actions to recoup potential questionable 
costs of grant recipients. 
(5) Such other oversight and monitoring tools as the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
considers necessary to mitigate and minimize fraud, waste, 
abuse, and mismanagement relating to the grant programs 
described in subsection (a). 
Approved January 3, 2018. 
Reviews. 
Assessments. 
Guidance. 
Deadline. 
Fraud. 
22 USC 2229 
note. 
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