GOP Science Committee Press
Washington D.C. — The Science and Technology Committee today approved two critical bills reauthorizing programs that leverage Federal resources to reduce Americans’ vulnerability to hazards such as earthquakes, windstorms, and fires. The two bills, H.R. 3791, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009 and H.R. 3820, the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act of 2009 both reauthorize successful programs that were created by the Science and Technology Committee over the years to support our Nation’s firefighters and help protect Americans from natural hazards.
“The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program both provide much-needed assistance to fire departments across the nation,” said Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX). “Further, H.R. 3820 improves coordination among Federal agencies responsible for earthquake and windstorm research and hazard mitigation. I want to note my strong support for both of these bills.”
While both bills passed out of Committee with strong bipartisan support, Republicans continued to raise questions regarding a controversial fire grant of nearly one million dollars issued on September 4, 2009 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the Louisiana Branch of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, today offered an amendment to H.R. 3791 to ensure that ACORN will not receive any future funding from FEMA under the AFG program, which the legislation reauthorizes through fiscal year 2016. The amendment passed by a roll call vote of 33-5-1.
“I believe it is prudent to ensure that ACORN does not receive a single dime of the taxpayers’ money from this program,” Broun said. “This is an organization that is already under investigation by the US Department of Justice, and is also being investigated by the Louisiana Attorney General. It is clear the American people are fed up with this type of reprehensible behavior and this program is far too important and overextended to be lining the coffers of corrupt organizations.”
On October 8, 2009, Rep. Broun and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, sent a letter to the Director of FEMA asking for documents regarding the grant and the process that led to its issuance. The letter questioned whether the grant was awarded appropriately and requested documentation regarding FEMA’s determination that ACORN had the “recognized expertise in Fire Prevention and Safety” to be eligible for the grant, as is required by law. FEMA has not yet responded to the letter.
For more information about the markup and to see the roll call votes, please visit the GOP Science and Technology Committee website.