David Price: “My amendment would waive certain requirements attached to the Fire Grants and the SAFER grants, and this amendment is…”

“My amendment would waive certain requirements attached to the Fire Grants and the SAFER grants, and this amendment is necessitated by the amendment passed earlier this evening. Members are aware that H.R. 2107 reduced funding for firefighter hiring grants, also known as SAFER grants, by $255 million, or 63 percent below 2011. Fortunately, the House resoundingly overturned that ill-advised move earlier today and adopted an amendment by Mr. LaTourette and Mr. Pascrell to restore the funding to the President's requested level. But my colleagues should also be aware that funding is only part of the problem with this bill when it comes to the SAFER program. The underlying bill also neglects to maintain provisions enacted in fiscal years 2009 through 2011 that allowed fire departments to use these grants to hire laid-off firefighters and to prevent others from being laid off in the first place. The law traditionally permits SAFER grants only to be used to hire new staff. Now, that provision makes sense when our economy is booming and local governments are in a position to hire new workers. But when the recovery is still fragile and local budgets are actually contracting and workers are being laid off, FEMA needs the flexibility to use these grants to keep firefighters from being cut in the first place. Secretary Napolitano and Administrator Fugate both testified to this need earlier this year during our appropriations hearings.…”