News

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) reports on the status of legislation critical to the volunteer fire and emergency services.

 

The House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committees have both reported FY 2009 appropriations bills, which the NVFC expects will be acted on soon by the full House and Senate. S. 3181 would provide $560 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and $190 million for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs, the same levels as in FY 2008. The President had proposed $300 million for AFG and no funding for SAFER. The corresponding House bill has not been formally introduced, but the NVFC has learned that the version that was reported by the full appropriations committee contains $570 million for AFG and $230 million for SAFER.

 

The House version provides $44.979 million for the United States Fire Administration (USFA), more than $4.5 million above the President’s request. The bill includes $500,000 for deferred maintenance at the National Fire Academy (NFA) in Emmittsburg, MD, a top priority for the NVFC. Most of the buildings at the NFA Campus are decades old and are in need of renovation. S. 3181 provides $43.3 million for USFA, the same as FY 2008 but still a seven percent increase over the President’s request. S. 3181 also requests that USFA provide a plan for building improvements at NFA.

 

The House and Senate bills both provide $15 million for Citizen Corps, an umbrella program that promotes citizen preparedness, including engaging volunteers in non-emergency roles in the fire service through the Fire Corps program.

 

The Citizen and Community Preparedness Act of 2008 (H.R. 5890) would create a Community Preparedness Division within the Department of Homeland Security and authorize Citizen Corps and its partner programs, including Fire Corps. Citizen involvement in community preparedness efforts boosts the capacity of local public safety agencies while reducing the burden placed on emergency responders during major disasters.

 

Citizen Corps is a component of USA Freedom Corps, which was created by President Bush in 2002. While Congress has funded Citizen Corps, it has never been codified. With a new administration taking over in 2009, it is important that Congress authorize Citizen Corps and its partner programs to ensure that they endure regardless of the priorities of the next President.

 

H.R. 5890 was reported favorably to the House Homeland Security Committee by the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response on April 30. The NVFC expects further action on the bill later this year.

 

The Community Building Code Administration Grant (CBCAG) Act (H.R. 4461/S. 2458) would create a grant program to help communities adopt and enforce building codes, including those related to fire protection. The NVFC recently signed onto a resolution supporting the bill. The Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Advisory Committee, of which the NVFC is a member, had adopted a resolution supporting the CBCAG Act in April. H.R. 4461 was reported favorably by the House Committee on Financial Services on June 24 and awaits action by the full House of Representatives. The NVFC is working closely with other fire service and code organizations to promote H.R. 4461 and S. 2458.

 

The Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), which became law in December, prohibits the federal government from taxing all property tax benefits and the first $360 per year of any other type of benefit provided to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by a unit of government for their service. A technical correction to VRIPA was included in the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act (H.R. 6081), which was signed into law on June 17, clarifying that the benefits protected from taxation under VRIPA are not considered income and not subject to Social Security or other payroll taxes.