First Responders Emergency Assistance Act

Grants for first responders during surges

This bill would create a FEMA grant program for State, Tribal, territorial, and local law enforcement and first responder agencies. Grants would pay for equipment, maintenance, salaries, overtime, fringe benefits, backfill staff, and other response costs tied to a large, sudden rise in arrivals of people who recently entered the United States. At least 25% of grant money would go to States that border Canada or Mexico. Grant funds could not be used to reimburse costs for enforcing Federal immigration laws. The bill would define "recently" as the four years before a Notice of Funding Opportunity. FEMA would have to write program rules and performance measures and give them to Congress within 90 days of enactment. For fiscal years beginning 30 days after enactment, FEMA would separately collect yearly financial data on awards, obligations, outlays, plans, transfers, and reprogramming. For five years after enactment, FEMA, working with CBP and ICE, would send annual reports and brief Congress about how recipients spent the funds; the first report would study the effects of multi-year grants and make recommendations.