Congress Re-Introduces Bills that Would Benefit the Fire and Emergency Services and Increase Safety

February 18, 2025

January marked the start of the 119th Congress, and with that the expiration of all bills not signed into law during the last Congress. Many bills have already been re-introduced in the new Congress, including three bills that impact the emergency services and are supported by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC): Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (H.R. 1269/S. 237), Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (H.R. 973/ S. 389), and High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (H.R. 173/ S.504).

The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act would expand access to Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) for the families of first responders, including firefighters, who pass away from cancer caused by carcinogenic exposure during their service. This bill would also extend disability benefits in cases where first responders become permanently and totally disabled due to cancer. Currently, first responders are only POSB eligible for physical injuries sustained in the line-of-duty, or for deaths from duty-related heart attacks, strokes, suicides, mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and 9/11 related illnesses.

The Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to publish a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other micromobility devices. This would reduce the amount of low-quality lithium-ion batteries, which are particularly prone to the risks associated with these batteries like explosion and thermal runaway.

The High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act encourages high-rises to modernize their fire prevention systems by decreasing this cost recovery to 15 years. The current tax code does not adequately incentivize high-rise building owners to install fire sprinklers, since it treats them similarly to plumbing and depreciates the costs over 39 years.

Stay tuned to the NVFC’s Dispatch newsletter and web site for updates on these and other important fire service legislation.