View all text of Chapter 49 [§ 2201 - § 2235]
In addition to any amounts transferred under paragraph (1)(H), the Administrator of FEMA shall direct at least 10 percent of the total amount of funds appropriated pursuant to this section annually to a competitive grant program for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters who are involved with or trained in the operations of firefighting and emergency response. Eligible entities shall include volunteer or combination fire departments, and national, State, local, or tribal organizations that represent the interests of volunteer firefighters.
The Administrator of FEMA shall establish and publish guidelines for determining what constitutes economic hardship for purposes of paragraph (1).
The Administrator of FEMA shall establish a performance assessment system, including quantifiable performance metrics, to evaluate the extent to which grants awarded under this section are furthering the purposes of this section.
The Administrator of FEMA may require a grant recipient to submit any information the Administrator of FEMA considers reasonably necessary to evaluate the program.
Not later than September 30, 2014, the Administrator of FEMA shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the experience with, and effectiveness of, such grants in meeting the objectives of this section. The report may include any recommendations the Administrator of FEMA may have for amendments to this section and related provisions of law.
If the Administrator of FEMA determines that a grant recipient under this section is not in substantial compliance with the terms and requirements of an approved grant application submitted under this section, the Administrator of FEMA may revoke or suspend funding of that grant, in whole or in part.
Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Administrator of FEMA may use not more than 5 percent of such amounts to cover salaries and expenses and other administrative costs incurred by the Administrator of FEMA to make grants and provide assistance under this section.
Consistent with the requirement in subsection (a) that grants under this section be awarded on a competitive basis, none of the funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection may be used for any congressionally direct spending item (as defined under the rules of the Senate and the House of Representatives).
The authority to award assistance and grants under this section shall expire on September 30, 2024.