Congress Passes FY 2021 Appropriations, COVID Relief Legislation

December 22, 2020

On December 21, the House and Senate passed a year-end legislative package (H.R. 133) that included FY 2021 funding for the federal government, various COVID-19 relief measures, and a tax extenders package that included a permanent extension of the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act.

H.R. 133 provides:

  • $360 million in funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs, respectively, an increase of $5 million for each program over the FY 2020 level.
  • $49.3 million for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a $2.5 million increase over the FY 2020 level.
  • $19 million for the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grant program, a $1 million increase over the FY 2020 level.
  • $2.5 million for the National Firefighter Registry, the full authorized amount.
  • $5.5 million for the Supporting and Improving Rural Emergency Medical Services Needs (SIREN) Act grant program, a $500,000 increase over the FY 2020 level.