A Florida lawmaker is pushing for aid for volunteer fire departments be included in the next pandemic stimulus packages.

In a letter to Sens. Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and others, Rep. Al Lawson expressed "concerns about ]the waiver in the House-passed Heroes Act that would eliminate the requirement that FEMA allocate 25 percent of Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) awards to voluntary fire departments,” according  to Florida Daily. The congressman is urging U.S. lawmakers not to include waivers in future stimulus bills.

“Volunteer fire departments have been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19 and are experiencing higher-than-normal staffing losses because volunteers are concerned for their personal health and that of their families,” Lawson said in his letter, according to Florida Daily. “I believe that waving these protections would put our volunteer and small departments in Gadsden, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Baker and Columbia Counties (in Florida) at a disadvantage when applying for emergency AFG funding because they would now be competing for grants against larger departments such as New York City and Miami-Dade.”

The letter also was signed by more than a dozen other representatives, including Rep. Peter King from New York, Florida Daily added.

The House passed the Heroes Act in May by a 208-199 vote. The Senate, however, has not moved on it.