119-s2200

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2200 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2200

 To establish a law enforcement grant program to help law enforcement 
 agencies respond to rapid increases in the arrival or presence of 
 aliens who have recently entered the United States, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 June 26 (legislative day, June 24), 2025

 Mr. Gallego introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To establish a law enforcement grant program to help law enforcement 
 agencies respond to rapid increases in the arrival or presence of 
 aliens who have recently entered the United States, 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 ``First Responders Emergency 
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
        (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
 Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
 Representatives; and
            (D) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
 of Representatives.

    (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
        (A) a State, Tribal, territorial, or local law 
 enforcement agency;
        (B) an emergency operations center; or
            (C) another State, Tribal, territorial, or local 
 first responder agency.

    (4) Emergency operation center.--The term ``emergency 
 operation center'' means a physical or virtual location from 
 which leaders of a jurisdiction or organization coordinate and 
 provide policy direction related to an emergency, including--
        (A) coordinating information and resources to 
 support resource needs and requests, including 
 allocation and tracking;
        (B) collecting, analyzing, and sharing information; 
 and
            (C) coordinating plans and determining current and 
 future needs.

    (5) Firefighter.--The term ``firefighter'' has the meaning 
 given the term ``employee in fire protection activities'' under 
 

section 3

    (y) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
 203

    (y) ).

    (6) First responder.--The term ``first responder'' includes 
 a firefighter, law enforcement officer, paramedic, emergency 
 medical technician, or other individual (including an employee 
 of a legally organized and recognized volunteer organization, 
 whether or not compensated), who--
        (A) in the course of his or her professional 
 duties, responds to fire, medical, hazardous material, 
 or similar emergencies; and
        (B) is an employee of a State, Indian Tribe, or 
 unit of local government.

    (7) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
 meaning given such term in 

section 4

    (e) of the Indian Self-
 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304

    (e) ).

    (8) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement 
 officer'' means an employee of a governmental or public agency 
 who is authorized by law--
        (A) to engage in or supervise the prevention, 
 detection, or investigation of any criminal violation 
 of law; or
        (B) to engage in or supervise the detention or 
 incarceration of any person for any criminal violation 
 of law.

    (9) Recently.--The term ``recently'' means during the 4-
 year period immediately preceding the public release of a 
 Notice of Funding Opportunity.

    (10) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
 Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the 
 Northern Mariana Islands.

    (11) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local 
 government'' means any city, county, township, town, borough, 
 parish village, special district, fire authority, county 
 improvement district, or other general purpose political 
 subdivision of a State, and any entity jointly created by 2 or 
 more public employers.

SEC. 3. FIRST RESPONDERS GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Administrator may award grants to eligible 
entities for the purpose of funding direct costs associated with 
responding to a substantial and rapid increase in the arrival or 
presence of aliens who have recently entered the United States.

    (b) Permitted Uses.--Funds received under the grant program 
authorized by this section may be used by an eligible entity for--

    (1) equipment, including maintenance and sustainment costs;

    (2) allowable and approved personnel costs, including 
 salaries, overtime pay, fringe benefits, and backfill positions 
 for law enforcement and first responder personnel; and

    (3) any other appropriate activity or cost that was 
 incurred in the eligible entity's jurisdiction, as determined 
 by the Secretary of Homeland Security, to respond directly to a 
 substantial and rapid increase in the arrival or presence of 
 aliens who have recently entered the United States.
            (c) Geographic Distribution.--The Administrator shall award not 
less than 25 percent of the funds appropriated for grants under this 
section to eligible entities located in States that share a border with 
Canada or with Mexico.
            (d) Collection of Information.--For each fiscal year during which 
grants are awarded pursuant to this section that begins on or after the 
date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator shall separately collect and maintain financial 
information with respect to grants awarded under this section, 
including--

    (1) the amount of such awards;

    (2) the amount obligated for such awards;

    (3) the amount of outlays expended for such awards;

    (4) financial plans with respect to the use of such awards;

    (5) any funding transfers or reallocations related to such 
 awards; and

    (6) any adjustments to spending plans or reprogramming 
 related to such awards.

    (e) Administrator Oversight.--

    (1) Guidelines.--The Administrator shall establish and 
 implement guidelines that--
        (A) ensure amounts made available for grants under 
 this section are used in accordance with grant guidance 
 and applicable laws;
        (B) increase the proportion of each grant made 
 under this section that is used for operational 
 expenses by the ultimate grantee;
            (C) improve program performance reporting and 
 program performance measurements to facilitate 
 designing, implementing, and enforcing procedures under 
 this section; and
            (D) require the recording of standardized 
 performance data regarding program output.

    (2) Submission.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit the 
 guidelines established pursuant to paragraph

    (1) to the 
 appropriate congressional committees.

    (f) Reports and Briefings.--During the 5-year period beginning on 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 
coordination with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection and the Director of U.S. Customs and Immigration 
Enforcement, shall submit an annual report and provide an annual 
briefing to the appropriate congressional committees that includes, for 
the period covered by each such report--

    (1) information regarding how each recipient of grant funds 
 under this section expended amounts received under such grant;

    (2) information regarding the nature of operations carried 
 out using such grant funds; and

    (3) with respect to the first report submitted pursuant to 
 this subsection--
        (A) an examination of the effects that changing the 
 grant program established under this section to award 
 multi-year grants would have on its mission; and
        (B) any findings and recommendations regarding 
 changes that could improve the grant program, which may 
 include feedback from grant recipients.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such 
amounts as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

    (b) Limitation.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection

    (a) may not be expended to reimburse eligible entities for costs relating 
to the enforcement of Federal immigration laws.
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