Sen. Tester Sends 11th Bill to President Trump’s Desk

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- The office of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Jon Tester's bipartisan bill to recruit, train, and equip firefighters in Montana is headed to President Trump's desk to become law.

Tester's Fire Grants Reauthorization Act-co-sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.)-will be the eleventh bill Tester has sent to the President's desk this year

The bill reauthorizes two critical grant initiatives that have helped dozens of Montana fire departments and are currently set to expire on January 2, 2018.

"These resources have made a great impact on fire departments across Montana," Tester said. "Reauthorizing them will ensure our firefighters have the training, equipment, and resources they need when emergency strikes. I'm proud to partner with Senator McCain to get this bill across the finish line."

Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) grants provide rural fire departments with the resources they need to properly train and equip firefighters for emergency situations.

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants provide funding directly to professional and volunteer fire departments to help increase and maintain the number of trained firefighters in rural communities.

Tester recently secured AFG grants for fire departments in Red Lodge, Miles City & Bozeman and SAFER grants for fire departments in Helena and Big Sky.

Last year, Montana fire departments received more than $2 million in AFG and SAFER grants, including fire departments in Missoula, Paradise Valley, Livingston, Deer Lodge, and Great Falls.