From the NVFC: President Obama signed appropriations legislation funding the federal government through the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2011. The bill provides $405 million each for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs, consistent with a request made by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) jointly with other major national fire service organizations earlier this year. This represents a $15 million increase for AFG, which directs funding to fire departments on a competitive basis to purchase equipment, apparatus, and training.

The bill also provides $45,588,000 for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), flat funding from FY 2010 and approximately $300,000 less than what the President proposed more than a year ago in the FY 2011 Budget Request. USFA provides training and education for emergency services personnel and the public.

In theory, the deadline for passing appropriations legislation is October 1, when the fiscal year begins. If Congress fails to appropriate funding before the fiscal year starts it generally passes a “continuing resolution” (CR) to fund the government temporarily until a year-long funding bill is approved. Using short-term CRs to extend the deadline by a month or two happens almost every year, but this is the latest in a fiscal year that Congress has passed a year-long spending bill in recent memory. The 111th Congress adjourned at the end of last year without approving any FY 2011 appropriations and the 112th Congress had to pass a series of short-term CRs beginning in March before finally reaching an agreement on a year-long spending bill just hours before the federal government was set to shut down.

“It is reassuring to finally have an FY 2011 appropriation in place,” said NVFC First Vice Chairman Jeff Cash. “I am also extremely pleased that in a difficult budget year that saw $40 billion in cuts across the federal government that we were successful in working with our allies on Capitol Hill to prevent cuts to important fire service programs and were even able to secure a small increase for AFG. With the FY 2012 appropriations process already underway, the NVFC will continue to advocate on behalf of the volunteer emergency services.”

A summary of the Homeland Security portion of the bill is posted on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s website. Click here to download the entire bill.