text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Volunteer Firefighter and EMS 
  Support Act of 2008''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services 
          personnel are a vital component of the first responders across 
          the United States.
              (2) The 800,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency 
          medical service personnel in the United States save lives and 
          property everyday.
              (3) The national financial savings resulting from volunteer 
          firefighting and emergency medical services has been calculated 
          at more than $37,000,000,000 each year.
              (4) Many volunteer fire stations and emergency medical 
          services organizations in the United States face growing 
          challenges as volunteers contend with increased competition for 
          their time from their jobs, families, and other 
          responsibilities.
              (5) Some State and local governments provide financial 
          incentives to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical 
          services personnel, such as retirement benefits and tuition 
          assistance. Unfortunately, many communities that rely on 
          volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services 
          personnel, especially rural and low-income communities, do not 
          have the resources to provide such incentives.
              (6) There is an important role for the Federal Government 
          and the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration 
          in supporting volunteer firefighters and emergency medical 
          services personnel, including providing funds to contribute to 
          incentives for the recruitment and retention of volunteers.
  
  SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
                SERVICES PERSONNEL.
  
      The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2201 
  et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 33 the following new 
  section:
  
  ``SEC. 33A. ASSISTANCE FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
                SERVICES PERSONNEL.
  
      ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program to 
  provide funds to a State or local government, non-profit firefighter 
  association, or governmental or nongovernmental emergency medical 
  services organization, that carries out a volunteer firefighter 
  incentive program in accordance with the provisions of this section.
      ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
              ``(1) Approved benefit or incentive.--The term `approved 
          benefit or incentive' means a benefit or incentive that has 
          been approved by the Administrator and is provided to a 
          volunteer firefighter, including--
                      ``(A) a retirement benefit;
                      ``(B) reimbursement for travel and training;
                      ``(C) health insurance or other health benefits;
                      ``(D) life insurance;
                      ``(E) tuition or school loan forgiveness;
                      ``(F) a tax reduction; and
                      ``(G) any other benefit or incentive approved by 
                  the Administrator.
              ``(2) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
          of Homeland Security.
              ``(3) Volunteer firefighter.--The term `volunteer 
          firefighter' means an individual who provides firefighting 
          service or emergency medical service to a State or local 
          government or a governmental or nongovernmental organization 
          without pay. A volunteer firefighter may receive benefits or 
          incentives for firefighting service or emergency medical 
          service, including benefits and incentives described in 
          subparagraphs (A) through (G) of paragraph (1).
              ``(4) Volunteer firefighter incentive program.--The term 
          `volunteer firefighter incentive program' means a program 
          carried out by a State or local government, a non-profit 
          firefighter association, or a governmental or nongovernmental 
          emergency medical services organization to provide approved 
          benefits or incentives.
      ``(c) Matching Payments to States.--
              ``(1) Requirement.--For each fiscal year in which a State 
          or local government, non-profit firefighter association, or 
          governmental or nongovernmental emergency medical services 
          organization carries out a volunteer firefighter incentive 
          program, the Secretary shall pay such government, association, 
          or organization, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
          appropriated for such fiscal year, an amount equal to the total 
          amount of expenditures of funds not received from the Federal 
          Government made by such government, association, or 
          organization for such fiscal year to carry out the volunteer 
          firefighter incentive program.
              ``(2) Entitlement.--Paragraph (1) constitutes budget 
          authority in advance of appropriations Acts and represents the 
          obligation of the Federal Government to provide payment to a 
          State or local government, non-profit firefighter association, 
          or governmental or nongovernmental emergency medical services 
          organization of any amount provided for under such paragraph.
      ``(d) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to 
  carry out this section.
      ``(e) Reports.--
              ``(1) Reports from recipients.--A State or local 
          government, non-profit firefighter association, or governmental 
          or nongovernmental emergency medical service organization that 
          receives funds under this section to carry out a volunteer 
          firefighter incentive program for a fiscal year shall submit to 
          the Secretary a report on--
                      ``(A) the use of such funds; and
                      ``(B) the programs to recruit or retain volunteer 
                  firefighters carried out by the government, 
                  association, or organization during that fiscal year.
              ``(2) Reports from the secretary.--Not later than 1 year 
          after the date of the enactment of the Volunteer Firefighter 
          and EMS Support Act of 2008, and annually thereafter, the 
          Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on--
                      ``(A) the activities carried out under this section 
                  during the previous year; and
                      ``(B) the status of programs to recruit and retain 
                  volunteer firefighters in the United States.''.
target: Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to provide funds to a state or local government, nonprofit firefighter association, or governmental or nongovernmental emergency medical services (EMS) organization, that carries out a volunteer firefighter incentive program in accordance with this Act.
  
  Directs the Secretary, for each fiscal year in which a state or local government, nonprofit firefighter association, or governmental or nongovernmental EMS organization carries out a volunteer firefighter incentive program, to pay such government, association, or organization (organization), out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated for such fiscal year, a sum equal to the total expenditures of funds not received from the federal government made by such organization for that fiscal year to carry out the program.
  
   Declares that this constitutes budget authority in advance of appropriations Acts and represents the obligation of the federal government to provide payment to a state or local government, nonprofit firefighter association, or governmental or nongovernmental EMS organization any amount so provided.
  
  Requires reports from recipients, and from the Secretary annually, to Congress.
feat_title: A bill to support the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, and for other purposes.