The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs agreed to sunset the FIRE and SAFER Grant programs Oct. 1, 2016. The 9-8 vote for this amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) came as the committee considered S. 550, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act, a bill to reauthorize the grant programs through the end of fiscal year 2016. All of the republicans on the committee and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) voted in support of this amendment; all of the democrats except McCaskill voted against it.

The IAFC will be working in the next weeks to find a senator to offer an amendment on the Senate floor to remove these sunset provisions.

The next step for S. 550 is consideration by the full Senate, which hasn’t been scheduled yet. The authorizations for both the FIRE and SAFER Grant programs have expired. A House companion bill to S. 550 hasn’t been introduced yet.