House Energy & Commerce Committee Passes FirstNet Legislation
On March 25, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026 (H.R. 7386) with a substitute amendment. This amendment was negotiated with the participation of active fire chiefs that are members of the IAFC.
The amended bill would:
- Would extend the life of the program to September 30, 2037.
- Increase the representation of active public safety professionals on the FirstNet Board.
- Reinforce the FirstNet Authority’s ability to deploy emergency response capabilities and resources to emergencies and disasters; set strategic priorities for the network; develop an annual budget and outline reinvestment decisions; and manage the device and application ecosystem within the FirstNet network in a timely manner without bureaucratic interference.
The next steps are for the full House of Representatives to vote on the bill.
New U.S. Fire Administrator Appointed
President Trump appointed Paul Matheis to be the U.S. Fire Administrator. He previously served as a Division Chief with the Newport Beach Fire Department. The IAFC welcomes Chief Matheis to USFA and looks forward to working with him!
Senator Markwayne Mullin Confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
On March 23, Senator Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as the Secretary of Homeland Security by a vote of 54-45. Previously, Senator Mullin was a U.S. Representative from 2013-2023 and served as a U.S. Senator from 2023 until his confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security. The IAFC welcomes Secretary Mullin and looks forward to working with him.
IRS Includes Unmarked Fire and EMS Vehicles As “Qualified Nonpersonal Use Vehicles”
On March 20, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a regulation allowing the use of unmarked fire, rescue squad, or ambulance vehicles to be treated for tax purposes similarly to the use of marked fire and EMS vehicles.
The unmarked vehicles must be owned or leased by a governmental unit, or any agency or instrumentality thereof. The governmental unit must require the unmarked vehicle to be used for commuting by the firefighter or member of an ambulance crew or rescue squad, who, when not on regular shift, is on call at all times. Personal use of the vehicle (outside of commuting) must be prohibited by the governmental unit or agency. The unmarked vehicle also must be specially outfitted to allow firefighters and members of rescue squads and ambulance crews to travel safely and efficiently to the scene of an emergency and provide emergency services. Onboard equipment for the unmarked vehicle can include lights and sirens; radios; medical equipment and defibrillators; laptops; and personal protective equipment.
The IAFC led the effort to make this change to the IRS regulations after the civil unrest in 2020. After marked fire and EMS vehicles were vandalized, local fire and EMS departments began issuing unmarked vehicles, which led to tax liability for fire chiefs. The IAFC successfully advocated for unmarked vehicles to be treated equally by the IRS as marked vehicles. The late Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) took up this issue and played a large role in ensuring this change to benefit IAFC members.
BRIC Application Period Started March 25, 2026
FEMA announced the start of the application period for the BRIC program. The application period will run for 120 days. The BRIC opportunity will make $1 billion in federal grant funding available to states, local governments, territories, and tribal nations to take proactive steps to protect their communities from potential disasters like fires, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The Notice of Funding Opportunity is posted on grants.gov.
Please Continue to Ask Your Members of Congress to Fund the USFA and the AFG and SAFER Grant Program
Early in the morning of March 27, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to fund the fire service programs, FEMA, and the other programs at DHS, except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The House must now pass this legislation.
The FEMA GO portal is open, so that fire departments can submit their requests for grant funding reimbursements. However, the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Academy remain closed. So, please keep up the pressure and ask Representatives to fund DHS fire service programs.
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Passes Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act (H.R. 2766)
On March 18, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act (H.R. 2766) by a vote of 32-8. The bill would define the term “special district” in statute to help fire, water, and other forms of special purpose districts access federal funding. It also would require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop guidance (within 180 days of enactment of the legislation) explaining how special districts are eligible for federal assistance.
The IAFC endorsed this legislation. As Congress passed relief for state, tribal, territorial, and local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, many special districts were unable to access this funding, because special districts were not properly defined in federal statute. This legislation corrects this problem. It now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives.