On January 16, Congress passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 113-76). The $1.012 trillion bill is set to fund the federal government through September 30, 2014.
Here is a breakout of its funding for fire service programs as compared to the post-sequester funding of the programs in FY 2013:
- Homeland Security
- U.S Fire Administration: $44 million (an increase of $2 million)
- FIRE Grants: $340 million (an increase of $20 million)
- SAFER Grants: $340 million (an increase of $20 million)
- Urban Search and Rescue Response System: $35.18 million (an increase of $2.18 million)
- Urban Areas Security Initiative: $600 million (an increase of $41 million)
- State Homeland Security Grant Program: $466.3 million (an increase of $111.3 million)
- Office of Health Affairs: $126.76 million (an increase of $2.4 million)
The legislation also includes waivers to the requirements of the SAFER grant program to allow for the retention of firefighters. The legislation also would prohibit the consolidation of the homeland security grants into one National Preparedness Grant program.
- U.S. Department of Interior
- Wildland Fire Management: $740.98 million (an increase of $52.5 million)
- FLAME Fund: $92 million (an increase of $12.1 million)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Wildland Fire Management: $2.16 billion (an increase of $310 million)
- State Fire Assistance: $78 million (an increase of $25.37 million)
- Volunteer Fire Assistance: $13.025 million (an increase of $1.94 million)
- FLAME Fund: $315 million (an increase of $15 million)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration
- Pipeline Safety: $119.1 million (an increase of $14.3 million)
- Hazardous Materials Safety: $45 million (an increase of $4.8 million)
- Emergency Preparedness Grants: $28.3 million (no change)
- Operations Expenses: $21.65 million (an increase of $2.25 million)