Bipartisan Support Grows for Pappas Bill to Strengthen Infrastructure for Local Police and Fire Departments

The Problem Solvers Caucus endorsedCongressman Chris Pappas (NH-01)’s bipartisan Building Up Infrastructure for Local Departments (BUILD) Act (H.R. 2979), legislation to help small and rural law enforcement agencies and fire departments modernize outdated facilities and better meet the demands of public safety in the 21st century. Pappas is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and has been rated among the most independent, bipartisan members of Congress.

Across the country, thousands of local law enforcement agencies and fire departments operate out of facilities that no longer meet the demands of modern public safety. More than 40 percent of all firehouses were built in the 1980s or earlier, with an estimated replacement cost of $70 billion to $100 billion, while many local law enforcement agencies face similar infrastructure challenges. This bipartisan legislation would help ensure small and rural departments have access to the modern infrastructure needed to meet today’s public safety challenges.

“Upgrading our public safety infrastructure to modern standards is critically important for community safety. I know from my conversations with local law enforcement, fire fighters, and town representatives that this legislation is desperately needed,” said Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01). “I’m glad to have the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus endorse my legislation to provide police and fire departments with federal resources to make necessary facility upgrades, which will support our officers and improve public safety. I will continue to work alongside our local departments, officials, and with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advocate for the resources our communities need.”

This legislation earned praise from New Hampshire law enforcement and local officials in the rural towns of Candia and Danville when it was first introduced in 2023. It is also supported by the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and GIFFORDS.

The BUILD Act would:

• Authorize a new BUILD grant program at the Department of Justice to modify, upgrade, or construct facilities for small local law enforcement agencies serving jurisdictions of less than 50,000;
• Authorize a new BUILD-FIRE grant program at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to modify, upgrade, or construct facilities for small fire and fire/EMS departments serving jurisdictions of less than 50,000;
• Require a GAO study of the sufficiency of the existing capital infrastructure of small public safety agencies over the near-term and long-term;
• Require the Attorney General to conduct and publish a study of the met and unmet construction and renovation needs of a national sample of police departments; and
• Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct and publish a study of the met and unmet construction and renovation needs of a national sample of fire departments. 

Eligible projects could receive up to $4 million in funding for projects that would improve the provision of emergency services, training and development of public safety personnel, recruitment and retention of public safety personnel, community engagement, and overall community safety.