I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9760 

To establish a community protection and wildfire resilience grant program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024 

Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself and Mr. OBERNOLTE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a community protection and wildfire resilience 

grant program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Protection 

5 and Wildfire Resilience Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Federal 

3 Emergency Management Agency. 

4 (2) CHIEF.—The term ‘‘Chief’’ means the Chief 

5 of the Forest Service. 

6 (3) COMMUNITY PROTECTION AND WILDFIRE

7 RESILIENCE PLAN.—The term ‘‘community protec8 tion and wildfire resilience plan’’ means a plan 

9 that— 

10 (A) is developed by an eligible entity in co11 ordination with— 

12 (i) the local community and govern13 ment; 

14 (ii) local Indian Tribes; 

15 (iii) local law enforcement, fire16 fighters, first responders, fire managers, 

17 and utilities; 

18 (iv) non-governmental organizations 

19 carrying out relevant projects or relevant 

20 operations locally; and 

21 (v) State agencies responsible for— 

22 (I) fire prevention and emergency 

23 response; 

24 (II) other emergency response; 

25 (III) public safety; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (IV) environmental protection; 

2 and 

3 (V) forest management. 

4 (B) includes strategies and activities relat5 ing to— 

6 (i) improving early detection tech7 nology, public outreach and education, 

8 alerts and warnings, evacuation planning, 

9 evacuation execution, and access for first 

10 responders; 

11 (ii) addressing vulnerable populations, 

12 including the elderly, children, individuals 

13 with disabilities, and homeless individuals; 

14 (iii) hardening and increasing the re15 siliency of critical infrastructure and 

16 homes, including through incentive pro17 grams; 

18 (iv) applying community-scale defen19 sible space projects, developed collabo20 ratively with the entities described in 

21 clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph 

22 (A), across contiguous areas; 

23 (v) building local capacity to imple24 ment and oversee the plan; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (vi) implementing strategic land use 

2 planning; 

3 (vii) educating community members 

4 about ways to improve community resil5 ience; 

6 (viii) coordinating any existing wild7 fire plans, such as a community wildfire 

8 protection plan or a community emergency 

9 evacuation plan; and 

10 (ix) incorporating information from a 

11 map generated pursuant to section 210(a) 

12 of division O of the Consolidated Appro13 priations Act, 2018 (16 U.S.C. 6501 note; 

14 Public Law 115–141); and 

15 (C) may consist of existing plans or other 

16 efforts, provided that any such plan complies 

17 with subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

18 (4) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

19 ‘‘critical infrastructure’’ means any public safety, 

20 health, education, transportation, communications, 

21 or water or power utility infrastructure or any pri22 vate infrastructure necessary to preserve community 

23 safety, resilience, or continuity of operation of such 

24 infrastructure with respect to a wildfire threat. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (5) DEFENSIBLE SPACE PROJECT.—The term 

2 ‘‘defensible space project’’— 

3 (A) means a project that is conducted 

4 within a radius of not more than 100 feet 

5 around a home, business, or administrative fa6 cility, and is comprised of vegetation pruning, 

7 such as annual removal of tree seedlings and 

8 saplings, lower limbs of mature trees, cutting of 

9 grasses and reducing density and continuity of 

10 shrubs, and removal of most small twigs and 

11 leaves; or 

12 (B) at the discretion of the Administrator, 

13 if a project funded under the program is being 

14 carried out in a State that has established, by 

15 law, a more restrictive definition of the term, 

16 has the meaning given the term in State law. 

17 (6) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti18 ty’’ means— 

19 (A) a State; 

20 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

21 (C) a unit of general local or regional gov22 ernment, including a fire protection district or 

23 a municipal fire department; 

24 (D) a volunteer fire department; or 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (E) a collaborative effort of not less than 

2 2 entities described in subparagraphs (A) 

3 through (D). 

4 (7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

5 the grant program established under section 3(a). 

6 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State 

7 of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

8 Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American 

9 Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 

10 other territory or possession of the United States. 

11 SEC. 3. COMMUNITY PROTECTION AND WILDFIRE RESIL12 IENCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

14 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, act15 ing through the United States Fire Administrator and in 

16 coordination with the Chief, shall establish a program, 

17 which shall be separate from the program established 

18 under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re19 lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133), 

20 under which the Administrator shall award grants to eligi21 ble entities to— 

22 (1) in the case of an eligible entity that has a 

23 community protection and wildfire resilience plan, 

24 carry out projects described in the community proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:28 Oct 04, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9760.IH H9760

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 9760 IH

1 tection and wildfire resilience plan of the eligible en2 tity in accordance with subsection (c); or 

3 (2) in the case of an eligible entity that does 

4 not have a community protection and wildfire resil5 ience plan, develop a community protection and wild6 fire resilience plan in accordance with subsection (d). 

7 (b) CRITERIA FOR GRANTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, 

10 acting through the United States Fire Administrator 

11 and in coordination with the Chief, shall establish 

12 criteria to award grants under the program. 

13 (2) COMMUNITIES.—Amounts provided under 

14 the program shall be used to conduct projects and 

15 activities only in communities in existence on the 

16 date of enactment of this Act. 

17 (3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the 

18 program, the Administrator shall give priority to eli19 gible entities that will carry out projects or plans 

20 supporting a community located in an area with a 

21 high risk for fire or wildfire, as evidenced by a State 

22 wildfire hazard map or a map generated pursuant to 

23 section 210(a) of division O of the Consolidated Ap24 propriations Act, 2018 (16 U.S.C. 6501 note; Public 

25 Law 115–141). 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (c) COMMUNITY PROTECTION AND WILDFIRE RESIL2 IENCE GRANTS.— 

3 (1) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

4 that receives a grant under the program must use 

5 grant funds to carry out projects that support a di6 verse portfolio of community protection and wildfire 

7 resilience strategies described in the community pro8 tection and wildfire resilience plan of the eligible en9 tity. 

10 (2) GRANT AMOUNTS.—A grant under this sub11 section shall be for not more than $10,000,000. 

12 (d) COMMUNITY PROTECTION AND WILDFIRE RESIL13 IENCE PLAN DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.— 

14 (1) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

15 that receives a grant under the program may use 

16 grant funds to develop a community protection and 

17 wildfire resilience plan for the eligible entity. 

18 (2) GRANT AMOUNTS.—An award under this 

19 subsection shall be for not more than $250,000. 

20 (e) PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CONTRACTORS AND

21 LABOR.—In carrying out a project using a grant awarded 

22 under the program, the grant recipient shall, to the max23 imum extent practicable, give preference to contracting 

24 with entities, and hiring individuals, from the area in 

25 which the project is being carried out, including by 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 9760 IH

1 partnering with local corps groups such as AmeriCorps or 

2 a conservation corps. 

3 (f) COST-SHARING.— 

4 (1) NON-FEDERAL SHARE REQUIREMENT.—The 

5 non-Federal share of the cost (including the admin6 istrative cost) of carrying out a project using funds 

7 from a grant awarded under the program— 

8 (A)(i) shall be not less than 25 percent of 

9 the cost of the project to be carried out using 

10 grant funds in accordance with subsection (c); 

11 and 

12 (ii) shall be 0 percent of the cost of the 

13 project to be carried out using grant funds in 

14 accordance with subsection (d); 

15 (B) may be provided by— 

16 (i) a State, a unit of local government, 

17 an Indian Tribe, a nonprofit organization, 

18 private industry, or a combination of those 

19 entities; or 

20 (ii) volunteer hours and in-kind dona21 tions; and 

22 (C) may, in the case of a project that 

23 serves a low-income community, be in the form 

24 of a low-interest Federal loan to the eligible en25 tity carrying out the project through the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:28 Oct 04, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9760.IH H9760

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 9760 IH

1 munity Disaster Loan program authorized 

2 under section 417 of the Robert T. Stafford 

3 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 5184). 

5 (2) WAIVER; REDUCTION.—In carrying out the 

6 program, the Administrator may waive or reduce the 

7 non-Federal share amount required under paragraph 

8 (1). 

9 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the pro11 gram $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

12 through 2028. 

13 SEC. 4. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT. 

14 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

15 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

16 shall publish a report— 

17 (1) on authorities and programs of the Federal 

18 Government that are available to protect commu19 nities from wildfires; and 

20 (2) that includes an assessment of the Comp21 troller General with respect to impediments to the 

22 implementation of such programs, including gaps in 

23 funding. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 9760 IH

1 SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

4 shall publish a study that includes— 

5 (1) an assessment of the Comptroller General 

6 with respect to— 

7 (A) the potential for a community protec8 tion and wildfire resilience plan to qualify for a 

9 certification identifying a level of wildfire sur10 vivability and resilience; and 

11 (B) methods that could be used by the 

12 Federal Government to incentivize insurance 

13 companies to accept such a certification; and 

14 (2) an identification of any metrics that could 

15 be provided to insurance companies as assurance 

16 that a community has wildfire resilience measures in 

17 place. 

18 SEC. 6. UPDATING LIST OF AT-RISK COMMUNITIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (A) of section 

20 101(1) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

21 (16 U.S.C. 6511(1)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(A) that is comprised of a group of homes 

23 and other structures with basic infrastructure 

24 and services (such as utilities and collectively 

25 maintained transportation routes) within or ad26 jacent to Federal land;’’. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (b) MAP.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

2 enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the 

3 Administrator, acting through the United States Fire Ad4 ministrator and in coordination with the Chief, shall de5 velop and publish a map depicting at-risk communities (as 

6 defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

7 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511), as amended by this sec8 tion), including Tribal at-risk communities. 

9 SEC. 7. REPORT ON RADIO COMMUNICATIONS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, acting 

12 through the United States Fire Administrator and in co13 ordination with the Chief, shall prepare a report relating 

14 to insufficient radio frequencies, barriers to interoper15 ability of radio frequencies, and available products and 

16 technologies for overcoming barriers to interoperability for 

17 wildfire management. 

18 (b) COOPERATION.—In preparing the report under 

19 subsection (a), the Administrator shall cooperate with— 

20 (1) the Secretary of Agriculture; 

21 (2) agencies responsible for the management of 

22 Federal land; 

23 (3) State fire marshals; 

24 (4) State and local emergency response agen25 cies; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HR 9760 IH

1 (5) Tribal fire departments and emergency 

2 managers; and 

3 (6) municipal fire departments, fire protection 

4 districts, and volunteer fire departments in relevant 

5 communities. 

6 (c) COMPATIBILITY; ADDITIONAL FREQUENCIES.— 

7 The report under subsection (a) shall include— 

8 (1) a determination on whether the entities de9 scribed in subsection (b) have the ability to commu10 nicate by way of radio during a potential fire sup11 pression effort for a community conflagration; 

12 (2) a determination on whether— 

13 (A) the reserved radio frequencies are suf14 ficient for wildfire management; or 

15 (B) additional frequencies, listed by type 

16 and location, are recommended to be reserved 

17 or obtained; 

18 (3) an analysis of commercially available tech19 nology and products to enable radios from multiple 

20 agencies operating on different radio frequencies to 

21 be interoperable; and 

22 (4) if the Administrator determines under para23 graph (1) that any entities do not have the ability 

24 to communicate, a plan for ensuring such entities 

25 would be able to communicate adequately during a 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•HR 9760 IH

1 fire suppression effort for a community conflagra2 tion. 

3 SEC. 8. AMENDMENT TO COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE 

4 GRANT PROGRAM TO ALLOW STRUCTURE 

5 HARDENING. 

6 Section 40803(f) of the Infrastructure Investment 

7 and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(f)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘projects’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘projects (including covered 

10 projects)’’; and 

11 (2) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the 

12 following new subparagraph: 

13 ‘‘(D) COVERED PROJECTS DEFINED.—In 

14 this subsection, the term ‘covered projects’ 

15 means the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) The construction, modification, or 

17 maintenance of a structure to make the 

18 structure resistant to the intrusion of 

19 flames or embers. 

20 ‘‘(ii) The modification of a structure 

21 or an area adjacent to a structure, (includ22 ing vegetation and miscellaneous struc23 tures, such as garages, sheds, and fencing) 

24 if such modification is carried out— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
15 

•HR 9760 IH

1 ‘‘(I) to reduce the exposure of the 

2 structure to direct contact from flame, 

3 radiation, or embers from wildfire; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(II) with consideration for the 

6 potential effects on the structure of 

7 nearby combustible features (including 

8 vegetation, vehicles, and miscellaneous 

9 structures, such as garages, sheds, 

10 and fencing).’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB