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May 08, 2024

House Passes Two Bipartisan Science Committee Bills to Support Firefighters and Structure Safety

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, the United States House of Representatives passed two Science Committee bills: H.R. 4143, the National Construction Safety Team Enhancement Act of 2024 and S. 870, the Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023.

“Both of these bipartisan bills will help to improve the lives and safety of Americans across the nation,” said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). “Last year, coastal flooding in California left communities across the state vulnerable. In my district, the Pajaro River’s levee failed, forced 1,500 people to evacuate, and put thousands of homes at risk. Unfortunately, there is no agency currently authorized to conduct thorough technical investigations of failures of general infrastructure, like levees but also dikes, bridges, and dams. The National Construction Safety Team Enhancement (NCST) Act will help to fill that gap by expanding NIST’s authority to investigate these types of failures. I thank Chairman Lucas for his partnership with this bill.

The Ranking Member continued, “More frequent and severe wildfires are among the many devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Wildfires threaten my home state of California and Americans across the nation throughout the year—regardless of season. In the face of fire, we rely on our nation’s firefighters, who risk their lives to protect communities and the environment. We must ensure that firefighters have the robust support and resources they need to be safe. The Fire Grants and Safety Act reauthorizes programs that will do just that. This is a common-sense bill and I look forward to seeing it enacted.”

H.R. 4143 will strengthen the capabilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Construction Safety Team (NCST) by expanding its authority to include investigations of general infrastructure to improve engineering codes and standards.

S. 870 reauthorizes the U.S. Fire Administration, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. S. 870 also includes the ADVANCE Act, which would enhance the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s ability to safely and efficiently license next generation nuclear technologies, all while lowering the financial barriers for the “first-of-a-kind” movers.