IAFC & Other National Fire Groups Send Letter Urging Removal of Single Stair Provision from Congressional Housing Bill
This week, the IAFC, in partnership with the IAFF, NVFC, NFFF, and CFSI sent a joint letter to Senators on the Senate Banking Committee urging them to remove the single stair provision from the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644). The letter highlighted the dangers to the public posed by these buildings and the need for government leaders to trust the integrity of the voluntary consensus process for code development.
Last week, the IAFC launched a grassroots campaign urging Senators to remove the single-stair provision from H.R. 6644. Fire service leaders are encouraged to visit the IAFC Action Center to send a message to their senator asking them to remove the single-stair provision.
House Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2027 DHS Appropriations Bill
On June 11, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The committee also released more information about funding fire service programs.
Here are the funding levels in the bill as compared to past years’ appropriations and President Trump’s FY 2027 budget request:
**In Millions**
| Program |
FY 2023
(Enacted) |
FY 2024
(Enacted) |
FY 2025
(Enacted) |
FY 2026
(President’s Request) |
FY 2026
(Enacted) |
FY 2027
(President’s Request) |
FY 2027
(House) |
| AFG |
360 |
324 |
324 |
324 |
342 |
324 |
351 |
| SAFER |
360 |
324 |
324 |
324 |
342 |
324 |
351 |
| USFA |
60 |
71.2 |
71.2 |
64.166 |
72.140 |
69.602 |
83.27 |
| UASI |
615 |
553.5 |
553.5 |
415.5 |
584.25 |
415.5 |
599 |
| SHSGP |
520 |
468 |
468 |
351 |
494 |
351 |
506.5 |
| US&R |
37.83 |
70.83 |
40.83 |
37.83 |
56 |
37.832 |
60 |
The full House must now consider this legislation. The Senate has yet to release its FY 2027 DHS appropriations bill.
House Appropriations Committee Passes FY 2027 Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill
On June 9, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup on the appropriations bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education for FY 2027. The bill would impact several IAFC EMS and workforce priorities.
There are potential impacts on the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which contains several fire service priorities. The National Firefighter Registry for Cancer received an additional $1 million for FY 2027, bringing the total to $7.5 million. The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, which includes labs that test turnout gear and SCBAs, is held at level funding of $23 million. The Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program is not specifically mentioned, but the catch-all line item the program likely falls under is proposed for a cut, and there is no clarity on whether that would affect the program. The bill report does explicitly call out the increased risk of occupational cancer among first responders and encourages NIOSH to take steps to further study occupational cancer in this group.
The committee includes several calls for innovation in EMS. For example, it would require HHS, within one year of enactment, to draft a report on the effectiveness of Community Paramedicine and the ways Congress can aid in furthering community paramedicine programs. Additionally, the committee recognized the need for EMS treatment in place (TIP) programs and directed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to review the data on TIP programs and what changes can be made to Medicare and state Medicaid programs to further TIP programs.
The IAFC Government Relations & Policy Department continues to monitor this bill and advocate for full funding for all fire service priorities.