,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ceib ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #g 7legislative day1 ,february #c71 #bjbb,mr4 ,sanders introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to provide additional funding for firefighter staffing and safety grants1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,firefighter ,staffing and ,support ,act4 #b4 ,firefighter safety grants ,section #cc of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbbi7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7d71 by striking paragraph 7#d72 7#b7 in subsection 7q77#a7-- 7,a7 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting 1 and there is appropriated1 after appropriated2 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking and at the end2 7,c7 in subparagraph 7,b7-- 7i7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by striking #bjbc and inserting #bjbb2 and 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7,d7 by adding at the end the following3 7,c7 #iac1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbc2 and 7,d7 for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh1 an amount equal to the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year increased by the percentage by which-- 7i7 the ,consumer ,price ,index 7all items1 ,united ,states city average7 for the previous fiscal year1 exceeds 7ii7 the ,consumer ,price ,index for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year described in clause 7i74 2 and 7#c7 by striking subsection 7r74 #c4 ,,safer grants ,section #cd of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbbi;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7j77#a7-- 7,a7 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting 1 and there is appropriated1 after appropriated2 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,h71 by striking and at the end2 7,c7 in subparagraph 7,i7-- 7i7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by striking #bjbc and inserting #bjbb2 and 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon2 and 7,d7 by adding at the end the following3 7,j7 #iac1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbc2 and 7,k7 for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh1 an amount equal to the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year increased by the percentage by which-- 7i7 the ,consumer ,price ,index 7all items1 ,united ,states city average7 for the previous fiscal year1 exceeds 7ii7 the ,consumer ,price ,index for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year described in clause 7i74 2 and 7#b7 by striking subsection 7k74 #d4 ,technical assistance ,the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ch4 ,technical assistance ,in addition to amounts made available under sections #cc7q77#b7 and #cd7;j77#b71 there is authorized to be appropriated1 and there is appropriated1 to provide technical assistance to qualified entities described in sections #cc7;c77#a7 and #cd7;a7 to prepare and submit an application for a grant under section #cc7;e7 or #cd7;b7-- 7#a7 #aj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbc2 and 7#b7 for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh1 an amount equal to the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year increased by the percentage by which-- 7,a7 the ,consumer ,price ,index 7all items1 ,united ,states city average7 for the previous fiscal year1 exceeds 7,b7 the ,consumer ,price ,index for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year described in clause 7i74 4 #e4 ,reports from ,,fema and ,united ,states ,fire ,administration ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,fire ,administration shall submit to ,congress and make publicly available-- 7#a7 a report on plans to improve the application process for grants under sections #cc and #cd of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbbi1 #bbbi;a7 to ease access to those grant funds2 and 7#b7 a report on the challenges specific to rural and volunteer fire departments1 as defined in section #cc of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbbi71 which shall include an action plan to address these challenges through the grants described in paragraph 7#a7 and other administrative action4 #f4 ,protections for volunteers from employer discrimination ,the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbja et seq471 as amended by section #d of this ,act1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ci4 ,volunteer firefighter and ,,ems personnel job protection 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,emergency2 major disaster ,the terms emergency and major disaster have the meanings given those terms in section #ajb of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eabb74 7#b7 ,qualified volunteer fire department ,the term qualified volunteer fire department has the meaning given such term in section #aej7;e7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7#c7 ,volunteer emergency medical services ,the term volunteer emergency medical services means emergency medical services performed on a voluntary basis for a fire department or other emergency organization4 7#d7 ,volunteer firefighter ,the term volunteer firefighter means an individual who is a member in good standing of a qualified volunteer fire department4 7b7 ,termination of employment of volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel prohibited 7#a7 ,termination prohibited ,no employee may be terminated1 demoted1 or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment because such employee is absent from or late to the employee's employment for the purpose of serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster4 7#b7 ,deployment ,the prohibition in paragraph 7#a7 shall apply to an employee serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services if such employee-- 7,a7 is specifically deployed to respond to the emergency or major disaster in accordance with a coordinated national deployment system such as the ,emergency ,management ,assistance ,compact or a pre-existing mutual aid agreement2 or 7,b7 is a volunteer firefighter who-- 7i7 is a member of a qualified volunteer fire department that is located in the ,state in which the emergency or major disaster occurred2 7ii7 is a member of a qualified fire department that has a mutual aid agreement with a community affected by such emergency or major disaster2 and 7iii7 has been deployed by the emergency management agency of such ,state to respond to such emergency or major disaster4 7#c7 ,limitations ,the prohibition in paragraph 7#a7 shall not apply to an employee who-- 7,a7 is absent from the employee's employment for the purpose described in paragraph 7#a7 for more than #ad days per calendar year2 7,b7 responds to the emergency or major disaster without being officially deployed as described in paragraph 7#b72 or 7,c7 fails to provide the written verification described in paragraph 7#e7 within a reasonable period of time4 7#d7 ,withholding of pay ,an employer may reduce an employee's regular pay for any time that the employee is absent from the employee's employment for the purpose described in paragraph 7#a74 7#e7 ,verification ,an employer may require an employee to provide a written verification from the official of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency supervising the ,federal response to the emergency or major disaster or a local or ,state official managing the local or ,state response to the emergency or major disaster that states-- 7,a7 the employee responded to the emergency or major disaster in an official capacity2 and 7,b7 the schedule and dates of the employee's participation in such response4 7#f7 ,reasonable notice required ,an employee who may be absent from or late to the employee's employment for the purpose described in paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 make a reasonable effort to notify the employee's employer of such absence2 and 7,b7 continue to provide reasonable notifications over the course of such absence4 7c7 ,right of action 7#a7 ,right of action ,an individual who has been terminated1 demoted1 or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment in violation of the prohibition described in subsection 7b7 may bring1 in a district court of the ,united ,states of appropriate jurisdiction1 a civil action against the employer of the individual seeking-- 7,a7 reinstatement of the individual's former employment2 7,b7 payment of back wages2 7,c7 reinstatement of fringe benefits2 and 7,d7 if the employment granted seniority rights1 reinstatement of seniority rights4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the individual shall commence a civil action under this subsection not later than #a year after the date of the violation of the prohibition described in subsection 7b74 7d7 ,enforcement ,the ,administrator of ,,fema1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,labor1 shall have the authority to issue rules to enforce this section4 4