The 110th Congress is placing firefighter issues at the forefront of its agenda, including HR 1, a proposal to fully implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that the House of Representatives passed Jan. 9 in a 299–128 vote.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had pledged to pass several important legislative initiatives in the first 100 hours of the 110th session of Congress. HR.1 is a far-reaching initiative that contains several provisions important to the nation’s firefighters. The bill received strong bipartisan support, with more than one-third of the Republican caucus voted in the favor of the bill.

HR.1 makes a series of improvements to the way the federal government assists frontline emergency responders. Reforms include targeting federal funding to urban areas protected by professional fire departments, allowing localities to use federal funds to backfill positions for firefighters assigned to training, and paying overtime for firefighters who work extra shifts during an elevated threat.

To prevent federal funding from being siphoned off for other uses, the legislation requires that states receiving federal grants pass on at least 80% of all funding to local entities, such as fire departments, within 45 days.

Perhaps most significantly, HR.1 establishes a new grant program providing federal funds to improve interoperable communications systems.