119-hr5326

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5326 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

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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