[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5326 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5326
To amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to
authorize the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to
cancel or delay certain courses and programs offered by the Academy,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 11, 2025
Mrs. McClain Delaney (for herself, Mr. Bell, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Carson,
Ms. Craig, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Fields, Mr. Hoyer,
Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Landsman, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Min, Mr. Mfume, Mr.
Neguse, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Stanton) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to
authorize the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to
cancel or delay certain courses and programs offered by the Academy,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Firefighter Learning And Management
Education Act'' or the ``FLAME Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control
(in this section referred to as the ``Academy'') of the United
States Fire Administration, and the Emergency Management
Institute, are located at the National Emergency Training
Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
(2) Congress directed the establishment of the Academy in
accordance with section 7 of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206) to ``advance the
professional development of fire service personnel''.
(3) The Academy is the American fire service war college
and provides critical training and education programs for our
nation's first responders.
(4) Tens of thousands of career and volunteer firefighters
from departments across the country benefit from courses at the
Academy annually.
(5) In 2017, an overwhelming majority of students at the
Academy reported that their coursework helped improve their
individual skills and enhanced their local fire department's
readiness.
(6) In fiscal year 2023, more than 40,000 firefighters
participated in courses with the Academy. After participating
in these courses, 90 percent of supervisors shared that their
firefighters were better prepared to respond to emergencies as
a result of their training at the Academy.
(7) At a time when wildfires have ravaged--and continue to
threaten--communities across the nation, the collaboration and
education managed by the Academy has never been more important
to secure the future of fire services.
(8) Given the importance of the programs at the Academy, it
is critical to clarify the authority of the Academy to cancel
courses and programming, and to require proper notice be given
to Congress before any large-scale closures happen.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION TO CANCEL OR DELAY CERTAIN COURSES AND PROGRAMS
OFFERED BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY FOR FIRE PREVENTION AND
CONTROL.
(a) Powers of Administrator of the United States Fire
Administration Relating to Large-Scale Cancellation Actions;
Congressional Review.--Section 7 of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (n) as subsection (r); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (m) the following new
subsections:
``(n) Large-Scale Cancellation Action.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator is authorized to
implement a large-scale cancellation action relating to a
covered course or program.
``(2) Notice to congress.--Not later than 60 days before
the date on which the Administrator implements a large-scale
cancellation action pursuant to paragraph (1), or in the event
of an exigent circumstance, as soon as practicable thereafter,
the Administrator shall submit to Congress a notice that
includes the following:
``(A) An identification of the covered courses or
programs to be cancelled.
``(B) An identification of the fire departments and
agencies with personnel registered for the covered
courses or programs to be cancelled.
``(C) The total number of personnel registered for
the covered courses or programs to be cancelled,
disaggregated by the number of such personnel in each
of such fire departments or agencies.
``(D) A justification for each such cancellation.
``(3) Notice to students.--If the Administrator implements
under paragraph (1) a large-scale cancellation action relating
to a covered course or program, the Administrator, not later
than 45 days before the intended start date of such course or
program, or in the event of an exigent circumstance, as soon as
practicable thereafter, shall inform each student enrolled in
such covered course or program, and the fire chief or other
appropriate head of each fire department of such students, of
such cancellation.
``(o) Other Cancellation.--If the Superintendent cancels a covered
course or program, the Superintendent, not later than 30 days before
the intended start date of such course or program, or in the event of
an exigent circumstance, as soon as practicable thereafter, shall
inform each student enrolled in such covered course or program, and the
fire chief or other appropriate head of each fire department of such
students, of such cancellation.
``(p) Reimbursement of Certain Expenses.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
Administrator of FEMA receives an itemization under paragraph
(3) from a fire department relating to a covered course or
program that is cancelled, the Administrator of FEMA, subject
to paragraph (2), shall reimburse such fire department for any
covered expense related to such course or program.
``(2) Good cause.--A reimbursement under paragraph (1)
shall not apply with respect to a covered course or program
that is cancelled if such covered course or program is
cancelled for good cause.
``(3) Itemization of expenses.--Not later than 30 days
after the intended start date of the course or program that was
cancelled, the fire chief or other appropriate head of a fire
department affected by such cancellation may submit to the
Administrator of FEMA an application for reimbursement that
includes an itemization of each covered expense such fire
department incurred.
``(q) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Backfill expense.--The term `backfill expense' means
an expense incurred for the following:
``(A) Staffing adjustments.
``(B) Overtime compensation.
``(2) Covered course or program.--The term `covered course
or program' means a course or program that is offered by the
Academy--
``(A) in-person and on-campus;
``(B) in-person and off-campus; or
``(C) through synchronous or asynchronous virtual
instruction.
``(3) Covered expense.--The term `covered expense' means
any expense that a fire department incurred for the planned
participation of the personnel of such fire department in a
covered course or program, including the following:
``(A) Any travel expense.
``(B) Any backfill expense.
``(4) Good cause.--The term `good cause' includes the
following:
``(A) The closure of a facility of the Academy.
``(B) The illness or unavailability of an
instructor of the Academy.
``(C) A national emergency that impedes access to a
facility of the Academy by a student or faculty member
of the Academy.
``(5) Large-scale cancellation action.--The term `large-
scale cancellation action' means an action taken by the
Administrator whereby the Administrator cancels at one time at
least 25 percent of the total number of covered courses or
programs planned to be offered by the Academy in a fiscal
year.''.
(b) GAO Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than March 30, 2026, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee
on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
Senate a study that includes the matters specified in paragraph
(2).
(2) Matters specified.--The matters specified in this
paragraph are the following:
(A) Any impact of any large-scale cancellation
action by the National Academy for Fire Prevention and
Control during calendar year 2025 of covered courses or
programs (as such terms are defined in subsection (r)
of section 7 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206) as added by subsection
(b)) offered by the Academy on the preparedness of fire
departments for a national emergency.
(B) Any negative consequences of such
cancellations.
(C) How the National Academy for Fire Prevention
and Control contributes to establishing a common
approach, including interoperability of fire and
emergency response, for firefighters and first
responders to provide mutual aid and combat fires,
natural disasters, medical emergencies, and other
similar events, and the value of such common approach.
(D) The number of students who have attended a
course or program at the National Academy for Fire
Prevention and Control during the immediately preceding
3 calendar years, disaggregated by the following:
(i) Any such courses or programs that are
offered in-person and at the National Academy
for Fire Prevention and Control campus.
(ii) Any such courses or programs that are
offered in-person and not at the National
Academy for Fire Prevention and Control campus.
(iii) Any such courses or program that are
offered by synchronous virtual instruction.
(iv) Any such courses or program that are
offered by asynchronous virtual instruction.
(E) An identification and description of the most
in-demand courses.
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