H.R. 6461 would assist volunteer fire companies in coping with the precipitous rise in fuel prices.
Detailed Summary
Supporting America's Volunteer Emergency Services Act of 2008 - Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine the average annual price per gallon for gasoline and diesel fuel for each of the five Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts for 2007. Requires: (1) the average annual price per gallon to be based solely on data reported by the Energy Information Administration; and (2) that price to serve as the baseline fuel cost for each District.
Requires FEMA to reimburse a qualified volunteer fire department for 75% of the difference between: (1) the actual expenditures of the department for gasoline and diesel fuel for a year; and (2) the amount that such expenditures would have been using the baseline fuel costs.
Directs each qualified volunteer fire department seeking reimbursement to submit to the FEMA at the end of each year: (1) all of its receipts and bills of sales documenting the amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel purchased during that year; and (2) a sum total of the aggregate number of gallons and the costs of gasoline and diesel fuel purchased.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 7/11/2008: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
ktb9780
July 19, 2008, 9:55am (report abuse)As a public safety grants consultant, serving the needs of 1000s of VFDs across the US, I concur that help is desperatly needed. I hear daily fomr these departments that not only are the fire trucks in danger of empty fuel tanks but, the volunteers who man these trucks are being forced to decide between answering the alarm, or being able to get to their normal jobs for the next week as the fuel crisis impacts their personal budgets as well.