What This Bill Does
This bill creates a grant program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give money to fire departments and emergency medical services organizations to build, rebuild, renovate and upgrade their facilities. The grants can be used for construction, equipment upgrades and safety improvements at fire and EMS stations.
Who It Affects
Career fire departments (all-paid firefighting staff), volunteer fire departments (all-volunteer staff), combination fire departments (paid and volunteer staff), fire training facilities, and nonprofit emergency medical services organizations that are not affiliated with hospitals.
Key Provisions
• The FEMA Administrator must create a grant program to help eligible organizations modify, upgrade and construct fire and EMS facilities (Sec. 2(b))
• Grant money can be used for building, renovating facilities, installing exhaust systems, backup power and environmental controls, removing mold, and building living quarters for male and female personnel (Sec. 2(h))
• The FEMA Administrator must divide grant money equally: 25 percent for career departments, 25 percent for combination departments, 25 percent for volunteer departments, and 25 percent available to all department types (Sec. 2(i))
• No single grant recipient can receive more than $7,500,000 (Sec. 2(i)(3))
• All construction workers must be paid prevailing wages (standard pay rates for similar work in their area) and overtime pay at time-and-a-half for hours over 8 per day or 40 per week (Sec. 2(j))
• All materials and supplies used must be manufactured in the United States (Sec. 2(j)(5))
What Changes
If this law passes, fire departments and EMS organizations can apply for federal grants to build new facilities or improve existing ones. Grant recipients must follow current building safety codes and provide reports annually to FEMA on how they spent the money. Construction on these projects must use U.S.-made materials and pay workers prevailing wage rates.
Important Definitions
Career fire department: a fire department with only paid firefighting staff
Combination fire department: a fire department with both paid and volunteer firefighting staff
Volunteer fire department: a fire department with only volunteer firefighting staff
EMS: emergency medical services
Nonaffiliated EMS organization: a nonprofit public or private emergency medical services organization not connected to a hospital and not adequately served by a fire department's EMS
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1814
To provide grants for fire station construction through the Administrator
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 27, 2023
Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. BOST) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide grants for fire station construction through the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Facilitating Invest-
4
ments Required for Emergency Services to All Towns in
5
Our Nation Act’’ or the ‘‘FIRE STATION Act’’.
6
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•HR 1814 IH
SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS FIRE STATION CON-
1
STRUCTION GRANTS.
2
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
3
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
4
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Federal
5
Emergency Management Agency.
6
(2) CAREER
FIRE
DEPARTMENT.—The term
7
‘‘career fire department’’ means a fire department
8
that has an all-paid force of firefighting personnel
9
other than paid-on-call firefighters.
10
(3) COMBINATION
FIRE
DEPARTMENT.—The
11
term ‘‘combination fire department’’ means a fire
12
department that has—
13
(A) paid firefighting personnel; and
14
(B) volunteer firefighting personnel.
15
(4) EMS.—The term ‘‘EMS’’ means emergency
16
medical services.
17
(5) NONAFFILIATED EMS ORGANIZATION.—The
18
term ‘‘nonaffiliated EMS organization’’ means a
19
public or private nonprofit EMS organization that is
20
not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a
21
geographic area in which the Administrator finds
22
that EMS are adequately provided by a fire depart-
23
ment.
24
(6)
VOLUNTEER
FIRE
DEPARTMENT.—The
25
term ‘‘volunteer fire department’’ means a fire de-
26
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•HR 1814 IH
partment that has an all-volunteer force of fire-
1
fighting personnel.
2
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall es-
3
tablish a grant program to provide financial assistance to
4
entities described in subsection (c) to modify, upgrade,
5
and construct fire and EMS department facilities.
6
(c) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—The Administrator may
7
make a grant under this section to the following:
8
(1) Career, volunteer, and combination fire de-
9
partments.
10
(2) Fire training facilities.
11
(3) Nonaffiliated EMS organizations, combina-
12
tion and volunteer emergency medical stations (ex-
13
cept that for-profit EMS organizations are not eligi-
14
ble for a grant under this section).
15
(d) APPLICATIONS.—An entity described in sub-
16
section (c) seeking a grant under this section shall submit
17
to the Administrator an application in such form, at such
18
time, and containing such information as the Adminis-
19
trator determines appropriate.
20
(e) MEETING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS.—
21
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con-
22
vene a meeting of qualified members of national fire
23
service organizations and, at the discretion of the
24
Administrator, qualified members of EMS organiza-
25
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•HR 1814 IH
tions to obtain recommendations regarding the cri-
1
teria for the awarding of grants under this section.
2
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—For purposes of this
3
subsection, a qualified member of an organization is
4
a member who—
5
(A) is recognized for firefighting or EMS
6
expertise;
7
(B) is not an employee of the Federal Gov-
8
ernment; and
9
(C) in the case of a member of an EMS
10
organization, is a member of an organization
11
that represents—
12
(i) EMS providers that are affiliated
13
with fire departments; or
14
(ii) nonaffiliated EMS providers.
15
(f) PEER REVIEW OF GRANT APPLICATION.—The
16
Administrator shall, in consultation with national fire
17
service and EMS organizations, appoint fire service per-
18
sonnel to conduct peer reviews of applications received
19
under subsection (d).
20
(g) PRIORITY
OF GRANTS.—In awarding grants
21
under this section, the Administrator shall consider the
22
findings and recommendations of the peer reviews carried
23
out under subsection (f).
24
(h) USES OF FUNDS.—
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•HR 1814 IH
(1) IN GENERAL.—A recipient of a grant under
1
this section may use funds received for the following:
2
(A) Building, rebuilding, or renovating fire
3
and EMS department facilities.
4
(B) Upgrading existing facilities to install
5
exhaust emission control systems, install backup
6
power systems, upgrade or replace environ-
7
mental control systems (such as HVAC sys-
8
tems), remove or remediate mold, and construct
9
or modify living quarters for use by male and
10
female personnel.
11
(C) Upgrading fire and EMS stations or
12
building new stations.
13
(2) CODE COMPLIANT.—In using funds under
14
paragraph (1), a recipient of a grant under this sec-
15
tion shall meet 1 of the 2 most recently published
16
editions of relevant codes and standards, especially
17
codes and standards that—
18
(A) require up-to-date hazard resistant and
19
safety provisions; and
20
(B) are relevant for protecting firefighter
21
health and safety.
22
(i) GRANT FUNDING.—
23
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall al-
24
locate grant funds under this section as follows:
25
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•HR 1814 IH
(A) 25 percent for career fire and EMS
1
departments.
2
(B) 25 percent for combination fire and
3
EMS departments.
4
(C) 25 percent for volunteer fire and EMS
5
departments.
6
(D) 25 percent to remain available for
7
competition between the various department
8
types.
9
(2) INSUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS.—If the Ad-
10
ministrator does not receive sufficient funding re-
11
quests from a particular department type described
12
in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1),
13
the Administrator may make awards to other de-
14
partments described in such subparagraphs.
15
(3) LIMITATION ON AWARDS AMOUNTS.—A re-
16
cipient of a grant under this section may not receive
17
more than $7,500,000 under this section.
18
(j) PREVAILING RATE OF WAGE AND PUBLIC CON-
19
TRACTS.—
20
(1) IN GENERAL.—All laborers and mechanics
21
employed by contractors or subcontractors in the
22
performance of construction work financed with the
23
assistance of any contribution of Federal funds
24
made by the Administrator under this section shall
25
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•HR 1814 IH
be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing
1
on similar construction in the locality as determined
2
by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sub-
3
chapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States
4
Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Davis-Bacon Act’’).
5
(2) OVERTIME.—Each employee described in
6
paragraph (1) shall receive compensation at a rate
7
not less than one and 1⁄2 times the basic rate of pay
8
of the employee for all hours worked in any work-
9
week in excess of 8 hours in any workday or 40
10
hours in the workweek, as the case may be.
11
(3) ASSURANCES.—The Administrator shall
12
make no contribution of Federal funds without first
13
obtaining adequate assurance that the labor stand-
14
ards described in paragraphs (1) and (2) will be
15
maintained upon the construction work.
16
(4) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF LABOR.—
17
The Secretary of Labor shall have, with respect to
18
the labor standards described in paragraphs (1) and
19
(2), the authority and functions set forth in Reorga-
20
nization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (5 U.S.C. App.)
21
and section 3145 of title 40, United States Code.
22
(5) PUBLIC CONTRACTS.—Contractors and sub-
23
contractors performing construction work pursuant
24
to this section shall procure only manufactured arti-
25
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•HR 1814 IH
cles, materials, and supplies that have been manu-
1
factured in the United States substantially all from
2
articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or
3
manufactured in the United States in accordance
4
with the requirements (and exceptions thereto) ap-
5
plicable to Federal agencies under chapter 83 of title
6
41, United States Code.
7
(k) APPLICABILITY.—Chapter 10 of title 5, United
8
States Code, shall not apply to activities carried out pursu-
9
ant to this section.
10
(l) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—
11
(1) ANNUAL
REPORT
TO
ADMINISTRATOR
OF
12
FEMA.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en-
13
actment of this Act, and annually thereafter during
14
the term of a grant awarded under this section, the
15
recipient of the grant shall submit to the Adminis-
16
trator a report describing how the recipient used the
17
amounts from the grant.
18
(2) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later
19
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act,
20
and annually thereafter until the date on which the
21
rebuilding or renovation of fire facilities and stations
22
are completed using grant funds under this section,
23
the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on
24
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
25
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•HR 1814 IH
Senate and the Committees on Transportation and
1
Infrastructure and Science, Space, and Technology
2
of the House of Representatives a report that pro-
3
vides an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grants
4
awarded under this section.
5
(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
6
authorized to be appropriated $750,000,000 for fiscal year
7
2024 to carry out this section. Funds appropriated under
8
this Act shall remain available until expended.
9
Æ
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