Jim Sensenbrenner: “Senate bill 1231, an act to authorize appropriations for the United States Fire Administration for the fiscal years 1998…”

“Senate bill 1231, an act to authorize appropriations for the United States Fire Administration for the fiscal years 1998 and 1999, is nearly identical to H.R. 1272, a bill favorably reported by voice vote by the Committee on Science on April 16, 1997, and which was later passed by the full House by voice vote on April 23, 1997. Senate bill 1231 is the result not only of a bipartisan effort, but also a bicameral effort to craft legislation that is in the national interest. This bill reauthorizes the programs and activities of the United States Fire Administration, a small but important organization within the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The U.S. Fire Administration was created by Congress in 1974 in response to a report by the President's National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control entitled America Burning, which presented a dismal assessment of the Nation's fire problem. The report found that nearly 12,000 lives were lost to fire annually in this country. In addition, fire was found responsible for more than 300,000 injuries and over $3 billion of economic losses annually.”