President signs USFA funding authorization bill
On November 20, 1997, President Clinton signed into law S. 1231, United States Fire Administration Authorization Act for Fiscal Years (FY) 1998 and 1999 (H.R. 1272 was the House companion measure). Congress appropriated $29.6 million and $30.5 million for FY 1998 and FY 1999, respectively, up from $27,558 million in FY 1997.
Another provision in the new legislation (P.L. 105-108) is that the USFA administrator report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science on the following issues: (1) the risks to firefighters in suppressing fires caused by burning tires and (2) the special training required to suppress such fires and how the USFA may provide that training.
