(May 4, 2017) – Congress has approved H.R. 244, an omnibus spending bill to fund programs and activities of the federal government for the remainder of the current fiscal year.  As CFSI reported earlier this week, the bill funds the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs at the same levels as Fiscal Year 2016.  The bill also provided modest increases in funding for the Urban Search and Rescue Response System and the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program.  

The House approved the omnibus spending measure on Wednesday, May 3rd, clearing the way for the Senate’s approval of the bill on Thursday, May 4th.  The full text of H.R. 244 can be viewed here.