House Passes the Fire Administration Reauthorization Act and Sends it to the White House
(Washington, DC) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 2606, the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, by a vote of 418 to 2. This legislation is similar to H.R.4847, the U.S. Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, which passed the House unanimously on April 3, 2008. H.R. 4847 was authored by Committee on Science and Technology’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee Vice Chairman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) to expand the federal government’s support for the national fire service.
“In Arizona, we know too well how dangerous wildfires can be, and the threat of urban wildfires continues to grow. We must ensure that our firefighters have the tools they need to keep need to keep us safe,” stated Mitchell. “I appreciate my colleagues who are helping us enhance our ability to fight wildfires and improve the safety of our firefighters.”
S. 2606 amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) for FY09-FY12. Under the bill, USFA funding for assistance to state and local fire service training programs is directed to increase 3.5% (from 4% to 7.5%). In addition, the bill directs USFA to develop tactics for handling acts of terrorism and natural disasters, new technologies to fight wildfires, and new strategies for fighting large-scale or multiple fires that cross jurisdictional boundaries in the current fire service personnel training.
“The U.S. Fire Administration is an important resource for our nation’s firefighters and the public safety. When it was established in 1974, USFA's stated goal was to reduce fire-related fatalities in the nation by half—bringing the number to approximately six thousand per year within a generation. By 1998, the agency had met this goal, and these numbers continue to drop. Yet, U.S. still has one of the highest rates of death, injury, and property loss due to fire among all industrialized nations. The USFA provides training, fire safety awareness, data collection, and R&D on fire suppression and prevention,” stated Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN). “America depends on its firefighters. I’m proud that we are doing what we can to support them by sending this bill to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”
On Monday, September 22, the House approved H.Res.1390, expressing support for the designation of a 4-H National Youth Science Day, and H.Res.1471, honoring the 50th anniversary of the successful demonstration of the first integrated circuit. Integrated circuits made possible today’s microchips and the miniaturization of electronics.
Today, the House also passed H.R. 6323, to establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program to promote the development of heavy duty hybrid vehicles, which the full Committee approved on July 16, 2008.
For more information on the Committee’s work on this legislation, please visit the Committee’s website.
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