[Journal of the House of Representatives, 1994]
[Tuesday, April, 26, 1994 (39), Para 39.14 Arson Prevention]
[Pages 718-719]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
Para. 39.14 arson prevention
Mr. BOUCHER moved to suspend the rules and agree to the following
resolution (H. Res. 413):
Resolved, That, upon adoption of this resolution, the bill
(H.R. 1727) to establish a program of grants to States for
arson research, prevention, and control, and for other
purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, shall be
considered to have been taken from the Speaker's table, and
the same are hereby agreed to with an amendment as follows:
In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate,
insert the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Arson Prevention Act of
1994''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) arson is a serious and costly problem, and is
responsible for approximately 25 percent of all fires in the
United States;
(2) arson is a leading cause of fire deaths, accounting for
approximately 700 deaths annually in the United States, and
is the leading cause of property damage due to fire in the
United States;
(3) estimates of arson property losses are in the range of
$2,000,000,000 annually, or approximately 1 of every 4
dollars lost to fire;
(4) the incidence of arson in the United States is
seriously underreported, in part because of the lack of
adequate participation by local jurisdictions in the National
Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the Uniform Crime
Reporting (UCR) program;
(5) there is a need for expanded training programs for
arson investigators;
(6) there is a need for improved programs designed to
enable volunteer firefighters to detect arson crimes and to
preserve evidence vital to the investigation and prosecution
of arson cases;
(7) according to the National Fire Protection Association,
of all the suspicious and incendiary fires estimated to
occur, only \1/3\ are confirmed as arson; and
(8) improved training of arson investigators will increase
the ability of fire departments to identify suspicious and
incendiary fires, and will result in increased and more
effective prosecution of arson offenses.
SEC. 3. ARSON PREVENTION GRANTS.
The Federal Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974 is
amended by inserting after section 24 (15 U.S.C. 2220) the
following new section:
``SEC. 25. ARSON PREVENTION GRANTS.
``(a) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) Arson.--The term `arson' includes all incendiary and
suspicious fires.
``(2) Office.--The term `Office' means the Office of Fire
Prevention and Arson Control of the United States Fire
Administration.
``(b) Grants.--The Administrator, acting through the
Office, shall carry out a demonstration program under which
not more than 10 grant awards shall be made to States, or
consortia of States, for programs relating to arson research,
prevention, and control.
``(c) Goals.--In carrying out this section, the
Administrator shall award 2-year grants on a competitive,
merit basis to States, or consortia of States, for projects
that promote one or more of the following goals:
``(1) To improve the training by States leading to
professional certification of arson investigators, in
accordance with nationally recognized certification
standards.
``(2) To provide resources for the formation of arson task
forces or interagency organizational arrangements involving
the police and fire departments and other relevant local
agencies, such as a State arson bureau and the office of a
fire marshal of a State.
``(3) To combat fraud as a cause of arson and to advance
research at the State and local levels on the significance
and prevention of fraud as a motive for setting fires.
``(4) To provide for the management of arson squads,
including--
``(A) training courses for fire departments in arson case
management, including standardization of investigative
techniques and reporting methodology;
``(B) the preparation of arson unit management guides; and
[[Page 719]]
``(C) the development and dissemination of new public
education materials relating to the arson problem.
``(5) To combat civil unrest as a cause of arson and to
advance research at the State and local levels on the
prevention and control of arson linked to urban disorders.
``(6) To combat juvenile arson, such as juvenile fire-
setter counseling programs and similar intervention programs,
and to advance research at the State and local levels on the
prevention of juvenile arson.
``(7) To combat drug-related arson and to advance research
at the State and local levels on the causes and prevention of
drug-related arson.
``(8) To combat domestic violence as a cause of arson and
to advance research at the State and local levels on the
prevention of arson arising from domestic violence.
``(9) To combat arson in rural areas and to improve the
capability of firefighters to identify and prevent arson
initiated fires in rural areas and public forests.
``(10) To improve the capability of firefighters to
identify and combat arson through expanded training programs,
including--
``(A) training courses at the State fire academies; and
``(B) innovative courses developed with the Academy and
made available to volunteer firefighters through regional
delivery methods, including teleconferencing and satellite
delivered television programs.
``(d) Structuring of Applications.--The Administrator shall
assist grant applicants in structuring their applications so
as to ensure that at least one grant is awarded for each goal
described in subsection (c).
``(e) State Qualification Criteria.--In order to qualify
for a grant under this section, a State, or consortium of
States, shall provide assurances adequate to the
Administrator that the State or consortium--
``(1) will obtain at least 25 percent of the cost of
programs funded by the grant, in cash or in kind, from non-
Federal sources;
``(2) will not as a result of receiving the grant decrease
the prior level of spending of funds of the State or
consortium from non-Federal sources for arson research,
prevention, and control programs;
``(3) will use no more than 10 percent of funds provided
under the grant for administrative costs of the programs; and
``(4) is making efforts to ensure that all local
jurisdictions will provide arson data to the National Fire
Incident Reporting System or the Uniform Crime Reporting
program.
``(f) Extension.--A grant awarded under this section may be
extended for one or more additional periods, at the
discretion of the Administrator, subject to the availability
of appropriations.
``(g) Technical Assistance.--The Administrator shall
provide technical assistance to States in carrying out
programs funded by grants under this section.
``(h) Consultation and Cooperation.--In carrying out this
section, the Administrator shall consult and cooperate with
other Federal agencies to enhance program effectiveness and
avoid duplication of effort, including the conduct of regular
meetings initiated by the Administrator with representatives
of other Federal agencies concerned with arson and concerned
with efforts to develop a more comprehensive profile of the
magnitude of the national arson problem.
``(i) Assessment.--Not later than 18 months after the date
of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall
submit a report to Congress that--
``(1) identifies grants made under this section;
``(2) specifies the identity of grantees;
``(3) states the goals of each grant; and
``(4) contains a preliminary assessment of the
effectiveness of the grant program under this section.
``(j) Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall
issue regulations to implement this section, including
procedures for grant applications.
``(k) Administration.--The Administrator shall directly
administer the grant program required by this section, and
shall not enter into any contract under which the grant
program or any portion of the program will be administered by
another party.
``(l) Purchase of American Made Equipment and Products.--
``(1) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
any recipient of a grant under this section should purchase,
when available and cost-effective, American made equipment
and products when expending grant monies.
``(2) Notice to recipients of assistance.--In allocating
grants under this section, the Administrator shall provide to
each recipient a notice describing the statement made in
paragraph (1) by the Congress.''.
SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TRAINING.
Section 24(a)(2) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2220(a)(2)) is amended by inserting
before the semicolon the following: ``, with particular
emphasis on the needs of volunteer firefighters for improved
and more widely available arson training courses''.
SEC. 5. CPR TRAINING.
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
SEC. 32. CPR TRAINING.
``No funds shall be made available to a State or local
government under section 25 unless such government has a
policy to actively promote the training of its firefighters
in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.''.
SEC. 6. FEDERAL EMPLOYEE HOUSING EXCEPTIONS.
Section 31(c)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2227(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``No Federal'' and
inserting in lieu thereof ``Except as otherwise provided in
this paragraph, no Federal''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(C) Housing covered by this paragraph that does not have
an adequate and reliable electrical system shall not be
subject to the requirement under subparagraph (A) for
protection by hard-wired smoke detectors, but shall be
protected by battery operated smoke detectors.
``(D) If funding has been programmed or designated for the
demolition of housing covered by this paragraph, such housing
shall not be subject to the fire protection requirements of
subparagraph (A), but shall be protected by battery operated
smoke detectors.''.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 17 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216) is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
``(h) In addition to any other amounts that are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act, there are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
``(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 1995 for basic research on
the development of an advanced course on arson prevention;
``(2) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 for the expansion of
arson investigator training programs at the Academy under
section 24 and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training
Center, or through regional delivery sites;
``(3) $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 and 1996 for
carrying out section 25, except for salaries and expenses for
carrying out section 25; and
``(4) $250,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 and 1996
for salaries and expenses for carrying out section 25.''.
SEC. 8. SUNSET.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no funds
are authorized to be appropriated for any fiscal year after
fiscal year 1996 for carrying out the programs for which
funds are authorized by this Act, or the amendments made by
this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore, Mr. MONTGOMERY, recognized Mr. BOUCHER and
Mr. BOEHLERT, each for 20 minutes.
After debate,
The question being put, viva voce,
Will the House suspend the rules and agree to said resolution?
The SPEAKER pro tempore, Mr. MONTGOMERY, announced that two-thirds of
the Members present had voted in the affirmative.
So, two-thirds of the Members present having voted in favor thereof,
the rules were suspended and said resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider the vote whereby the rules were suspended and
said resolution was agreed to was, by unanimous consent, laid on the
table.
Ordered, That the Clerk request the concurrence of the Senate in said
amendment.