Page 21 - Volume 20

In Millions ($)
Program
FY 2016
(Enacted)
FY 2017
(Enacted)
FY 2018
(Presidents Request)
FY 2018
(H.R. 3355)
FIRE
345
345
344.344
345
SAFER
345
345
344.344
345
USFA
44
44
43.41*
43.41*
Urban Search & Rescue
35.18
38.28
27.5
35.18
Urban Areas Security Initiative
600
605
448.844
630
State Homeland Security Grant Program
467
467
349.362
467
*This amount includes $41.913 million for USFA in the Federal Assistance account and $1.497 million in the Procurement, Construction, and Improvement account for the National Emergency Training Center.
The IAFC and other fire service organizations are concerned by the cuts to USFA. We are working with the other fire service organizations
to restore funding to the USFA in September, when the House considers DHS appropriations as part of a larger appropriations bill. The Senate has not yet released its version of the FY 2018 DHS appropriations bill.
case, the action has been on the House side. The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the bill
on May 17. It was then marked up by the Health Subcommittee on June 29, and the full committee marked up the bill on July 27. The bill now awaits consideration on the House floor, and will hopefully pass this fall.
FirstNet
One pending issue at the state level with national ramifications concerns the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). FirstNet was created by
the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (P.L. 112-96) to develop
a dedicated, nationwide public safety broadband network. This year, FirstNet has made some major advances toward that goal.
On March 30, FirstNet announced its selection of AT&T as its commercial partner to build and operate the net- work. On June 19, FirstNet and AT&T released their plans to the governors about how the broadband network will be built in each state. The state plans included details about operations and coverage.
Currently, there are two complications to the funding picture. Congress must raise the debt limit by early October
so that the federal government can pay its bills. Also, the Republicans would
like to spend more money on defense programs, while the Democrats would like to see an equal increase for non- defense spending. The current caps on discretionary defense and non-defense spending are written into law. So, the House, Senate, and the President will have to come to an agreement on how to reconcile these differences and fund the government in the new fiscal year.
The Firefighter Cancer
Registry Act
Congress also has been making progress on the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act (H.R. 931/S. 382). In this
Now that Ohio has a state plan, Governor Kasich can opt-in to it. He also has 47 days to recommend changes to FirstNet, after which FirstNet has 45 days to respond. The Governor then will have 90 days to decide to opt-in to FirstNet’s network. If the Governor opts out, he will be committing the state to build its own public safety network, which must meet FirstNet’s technical requirements to ensure interoperability.
Members of the OFCA are encour- aged to contact the state point of contact for Ohio, Stu Davis (stu.davis@ das.ohio.gov), and review the FirstNet plan. The AT&T contract with FirstNet is for 25 years, so the state may be mak- ing a 25-year commitment. The IAFC is encouraging states to opt-in to FirstNet, because a single nationwide system should ensure interoperability between fire, EMS, and law enforcement agen- cies from different states and localities, especially in the case of major incidents, like Hurricane Katrina or 9/11.
As Congress starts work this fall, there is a lot to do. Before October
1, Congress has to pass legislation to fund the federal government, including programs like USFA, AFG, and SAFER. In addition, the OFCA, the IAFC, and other fire service organizations are pushing the House to pass S. 829 and reauthorize the FIRE and SAFER grant programs. We also are seeing progress on bills like the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. In addition, Congress hopes to tackle issues like tax reform and infrastructure spending before the end of the year. It’ll be a busy three months, and the OFCA and the IAFC will be fighting for you. u
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org InCommand 21