For Release: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Contact: David Gillies: 202-225-5661

FIRE GRANTS LEGISLATION APPROVED BY HOUSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Bill Would Prohibit Grants from Going to ACORN

WASHINGTON - U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) announced today that legislation to reauthorize grant programs for local fire departments passed the full House Science and Technology Committee. H.R. 3791, The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009, reauthorizes the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. Costello is a senior member of the Committee and a cosponsor of the bill.

The AFG program provides funds to local fire departments to purchase equipment, vehicles, and training. The SAFER program helps fire departments hire firefighting personnel and meet voluntary national consensus standards on safe minimum staffing levels. Both the AFG and SAFER programs are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bill authorizes $1 billion for the AFG program per fiscal year from FY2010 to FY2014, and an additional $1.194 billion per fiscal year from FY2010 to FY2014 for the SAFER program.

The legislation makes some changes to the program to make it easier for local fire departments to take advantage of AFG and SAFER funding - lowering the matching requirements for the AFG program and modifying the time and matching commitments for the SAFER program.

Costello supported an amendment to the bill offered by Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA) that would prohibit grants under the bill from being awarded to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The Broun amendment passed.

“These grant programs have been extremely effective in helping to make sure our local firefighters have adequate personnel and equipment,” said Costello, a former policeman who also cosponsored the original fire grants legislation. “I have said it many times before, but our firefighters and other first responders put their lives on the line every day, and they deserve our full support. These dedicated professionals and volunteers make our communities safer and better places to live. I look forward to H.R. 3791 becoming law in the near future.”

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