On June 19th, the Senate Appropriations
Committee approved S. 3181, the Fiscal Year 2009 Homeland
Security Appropriations Act. The bill funds the Assistance to
Firefighters (FIRE) Grant and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant at the same levels as Fiscal
Year 2008 - $560 million and $190 million respectively. In the
Bush Administration's FY09 budget request, the Administration
recommended eliminating funding for SAFER and cutting funding
for FIRE to $300 million. On June 24th, the House Appropriations
Committee also approved a Fiscal Year 2009 spending bill for
homeland security (bill number pending at press time). Similar
to the Senate, the House committee rejected the Administration's
proposed cuts, but approved a slight increase in funding for
FIRE and SAFER. The House bill funds FIRE at $570 million - a
$10 million increase over FY08 - and SAFER at $230 million - a
$40 million increase over FY08. In addition to funding FIRE and
SAFER grants, the bills also provide funding for the United
States Fire Administration (USFA). The Senate bill funds USFA at
$43.3 million, maintaining the same level of funding as FY08.
The House bill provides a slight increase, funding USFA at
slightly more than $44.9. The additional funds are intended to
update the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and
make infrastructure improvements at the National Fire Academy (NFA).
The Administration had recommended cutting funding for USFA to
$40.9 million for FY09. Both houses of Congress must now approve
their respective spending bills and resolve any differences
before sending the final bill to the White House for the
President's signature. President Bush has threatened to veto any
appropriations bill that exceeds the Administration's proposed
budget, so it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be.
Congress Approves 911 Legislation
On June 23rd the House of Representatives
approved by voice vote legislation that will update the nation's
911 laws for Internet phone services. HR 3403, the New and
Emerging Technologies (NET) 911 Improvement Act, was passed by
unanimous consent in the Senate on June 16th.The legislation
allows voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) providers to access
existing 911 infrastructures, enabling them to deliver emergency
calls and provide location and callback information. The
legislation also extends liability protection to VoIP firms, as
well as users and call centers handling emergency online phone
calls.The legislation was sent to the White House for the
President's signature on June 23rd.
