II 

Calendar No. 550 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4654 

[Report No. 118–237] 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act to allow Indian tribal governments to directly request fire management assistance declarations and grants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 10, 2024 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. ROUNDS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

NOVEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow Indian tribal governments 

to directly request fire management assistance declarations and grants, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fire Management As3 sistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ELIGIBILITY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 420 of the Robert T. 

6 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

7 (42 U.S.C. 5187) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

9 tribal government,’’ before ‘‘or local government’’; 

10 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

11 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; 

12 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(b) PROCEDURE FOR REQUEST.—The Governor of 

15 a State or the Chief Executive of an Indian tribal govern16 ment affected by a fire described in subsection (a) may 

17 directly submit a request to authorize assistance under 

18 this section.’’; and 

19 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(g) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section 

21 shall prohibit an Indian tribal government from receiving 

22 assistance under this section pursuant to an authorization 

23 made at the request of a State under subsection (b) if 

24 assistance is not authorized under this section for the 

25 same incident based on a request by the Indian tribal gov26 ernment under subsection (b).’’. 


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1 (b) REGULATIONS.— 

2 (1) FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE DECLARA3 TION DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘fire 

4 management assistance declaration’’ means a dec5 laration approved under section 204.21(a) of title 

6 44, Code of Federal Regulations. 

7 (2) UPDATE.—Not later than 360 days after 

8 the date of enactment of this Act, the President 

9 shall issue regulations updating part 204 of title 44, 

10 Code of Federal Regulations, to carry out the 

11 amendments made by subsection (a). 

12 (3) CONTENTS.—In issuing the regulations re13 quired under paragraph (2), the President shall— 

14 (A) authorize the Federal Emergency Man15 agement Agency to directly receive a request for 

16 a fire management assistance declaration from 

17 an Indian tribal government and directly pro18 vide related grants and resources to Indian trib19 al governments; 

20 (B) clarify that Indian tribal governments 

21 for which the President does not grant a re22 quest described in subparagraph (A) remain eli23 gible to receive assistance under section 420 of 

24 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

25 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187) 


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1 through assistance granted under a fire man2 agement assistance declaration made at the re3 quest of a State; 

4 (C) consider the unique conditions that af5 fect the general welfare of Indian tribal govern6 ments; and 

7 (D) enter into government-to-government 

8 consultation with Indian tribal governments re9 garding the regulations. 

10 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

11 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fire Management Assist12 ance Grants for Tribal Governments Act’’. 

13 SEC. 2. INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ELIGIBILITY. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 420 of the Robert T. Staf15 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

16 U.S.C. 5187) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, Indian trib18 al government,’’ before ‘‘or local government’’; 

19 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

20 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; 

21 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(b) PROCEDURE FOR REQUEST.—The Governor of a 

24 State or the Chief Executive of an Indian tribal government 

25 affected by a fire described in subsection (a) may directly 


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•S 4654 RS

1 submit a request to authorize assistance under this sec2 tion.’’; and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(g) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section 

5 shall prohibit an Indian tribal government from receiving 

6 assistance under this section pursuant to an authorization 

7 made at the request of a State under subsection (b) if assist8 ance is not authorized under this section for the same inci9 dent based on a request by the Indian tribal government 

10 under subsection (b).’’. 

11 (b) REGULATIONS.— 

12 (1) FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE DECLARA13 TION DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘fire 

14 management assistance declaration’’ means a declara15 tion approved under section 204.21(a) of title 44, 

16 Code of Federal Regulations. 

17 (2) UPDATE.—Not later than 1 year after the 

18 date of enactment of this Act, the President shall issue 

19 regulations updating part 204 of title 44, Code of 

20 Federal Regulations, to carry out the amendments 

21 made by subsection (a). 

22 (3) CONTENTS.—In issuing the regulations re23 quired under paragraph (2), the President shall— 

24 (A) authorize the Federal Emergency Man25 agement Agency to directly receive a request for 


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1 a fire management assistance declaration from 

2 an Indian tribal government and directly pro3 vide related grants and resources to Indian trib4 al governments; 

5 (B) clarify that Indian tribal governments 

6 for which the President does not grant a request 

7 described in subparagraph (A) remain eligible to 

8 receive assistance under section 420 of the Robert 

9 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As10 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187) through assistance 

11 granted under a fire management assistance dec12 laration made at the request of a State; 

13 (C) consider the unique conditions that af14 fect the general welfare of Indian tribal govern15 ments; and 

16 (D) enter into government-to-government 

17 consultation with Indian tribal governments re18 garding the regulations. 


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Calendar No. 550 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4654 

[Report No. 118–237] 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

for other purposes. agement assistance declarations and grants, and tribal governments to directly request fire manand Emergency Assistance Act to allow Indian 

NOVEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported with an amendment 


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