Pilot Program to Ease Communities’ Financial Burden Caused by Deployed First Responders

U.S. Congressman Mike Ross of Prescott has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to support communities that employ National Guard members or Reservists as first responders. The Strengthening Community Safety Act, H.R. 3260, would help communities recover the cost associated with the temporary absence of a law enforcement officer, firefighter or first responder who is deployed as a member of the National Guard or Reserves.

“We should never hesitate to hire National Guard members or Reservists because their deployment might cost our community more money,” said Ross. “National Guard members and Reservists who double as first responders honorably serve both their community and country and we should support communities who want to hire these brave men and women. My bill sets up a temporary grant program to help eligible communities recover the costs of increased overtime, new hires and new training when its first responders are deployed so that communities don’t have to pull resources from other services. Public safety and supporting our men and women in uniform should be among our nation’s top priorities and that’s why I’m proud to introduce this commonsense bill in Congress.”

Many times, communities incur additional expenses when a first responder is deployed, especially in rural communities with smaller budgets. These expenses include, but are not limited to, paying other employees’ overtime, dedicating additional funds to training temporary replacements and hiring new employees. Ross’s bill, the Strengthening Community Safety Act, would create a pilot grant program for three years under the Department of Homeland Security to directly compensate state and local first responder agencies that exhibit a five percent increase in expenses directly due to the deployment of an employee as a member of the National Guard or Reserves. Eligible reimbursable expenses range from salary to the cost of equipment, maintenance or other activities a first responder agency was unable to acquire or perform because the deployment created a tighter budget.

Earlier this year, Ross also helped introduce the Veterans Employment Transition Act, H.R. 865, or VETs Act, to provide tax credits for private businesses who hire veterans coming home from active duty service.

“Our veterans and servicemembers should be thanked and rewarded for their service to our nation, yet more than one million veterans across this country are unemployed today,” said Ross. “Along with the VETs Act I helped introduce earlier this year, these bills are only part of the work I’m doing to help create jobs and take care of our men and women in uniform. We need more jobs in this state and across this country and taking care of our servicemembers and unemployed veterans is a good place to start.”

The Strengthening Community Safety Act, H.R. 3260, has already been endorsed by the Association of the United States Navy, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, the National Guard Association of the United States and the Retired Enlisted Association. Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.