II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1842 

To provide for wildfire suppression operations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. CRAPO, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. RISCH, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. HATCH, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. GARDNER, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To provide for wildfire suppression operations, 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 ‘‘Wildfire Disaster 

5 Funding Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING AUTHORITY. 

7 (a) DISASTER FUNDING.—Section 251(b)(2)(D) of 

8 the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 

9 of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)) is amended— 

10 (1) in clause (i)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

2 by striking ‘‘the total of—’’ and inserting ‘‘an 

3 amount equal to the difference between—’’; 

4 (B) by redesignating subclauses (I) and 

5 (II) as items (aa) and (bb), respectively, and in6 denting the items appropriately; 

7 (C) by inserting before item (aa) (as so re8 designated) the following: 

9 ‘‘(I) the sum obtained by add10 ing—’’; 

11 (D) in item (bb) of subclause (I) (as so re12 designated)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘subclause (I)’’ and in14 serting ‘‘item (aa)’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

16 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(II) the additional new budget 

19 authority provided in an appropria20 tions Act for wildfire suppression op21 erations pursuant to subparagraph 

22 (E) for the preceding fiscal year.’’; 

23 and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(v) Beginning in fiscal year 2018 

2 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the cal3 culation of the ‘average funding provided 

4 for disaster relief over the previous 10 

5 years’ shall include, for each fiscal year 

6 during that period, the additional new 

7 budget authority provided in an appropria8 tions Act for wildfire suppression oper9 ations pursuant to subparagraph (E) for 

10 the preceding fiscal year.’’. 

11 (b) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.—Section 251(b)(2) of 

12 the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 

13 of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended by adding at 

14 the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(E) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.— 

16 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this subpara17 graph: 

18 ‘‘(I) ADDITIONAL NEW BUDGET

19 AUTHORITY.—The term ‘additional 

20 new budget authority’ means the 

21 amount provided for a fiscal year in 

22 an appropriations Act that is— 

23 ‘‘(aa) in excess of the 10- 

24 year average of the costs for 

25 wildfire suppression operations, 


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1 as calculated for fiscal year 2015; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(bb) specified to pay for 

4 the costs of wildfire suppression 

5 operations. 

6 ‘‘(II) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION

7 OPERATIONS.—The term ‘wildfire sup8 pression operations’ means the emer9 gency and unpredictable aspects of 

10 wildland firefighting including— 

11 ‘‘(aa) support, response, and 

12 emergency stabilization activities; 

13 ‘‘(bb) other emergency man14 agement activities; and 

15 ‘‘(cc) the funds necessary to 

16 repay any transfers needed for 

17 the costs of wildfire suppression 

18 operations. 

19 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL NEW BUDGET AU20 THORITY.—If a bill or joint resolution 

21 making appropriations for a fiscal year is 

22 enacted that specifies an amount for wild23 fire suppression operations in the Wildland 

24 Fire Management accounts at the Depart25 ment of Agriculture or the Department of 


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1 the Interior, the adjustments for that fiscal 

2 year shall be the amount of additional new 

3 budget authority provided in that Act for 

4 wildfire suppression operations for that fis5 cal year, but shall not exceed— 

6 ‘‘(I) for fiscal year 2017, 

7 $1,410,000,000 in additional new 

8 budget authority; 

9 ‘‘(II) for fiscal year 2018, 

10 $1,460,000,000 in additional new 

11 budget authority; 

12 ‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2019, 

13 $1,560,000,000 in additional new 

14 budget authority; 

15 ‘‘(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 

16 $1,780,000,000 in additional new 

17 budget authority; 

18 ‘‘(V) for fiscal year 2021, 

19 $2,030,000,000 in additional new 

20 budget authority; 

21 ‘‘(VI) for fiscal year 2022, 

22 $2,320,000,000 in additional new 

23 budget authority; 


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1 ‘‘(VII) for fiscal year 2023, 

2 $2,650,000,000 in additional new 

3 budget authority; 

4 ‘‘(VIII) for fiscal year 2024, 

5 $2,690,000,000 in additional new 

6 budget authority; 

7 ‘‘(IX) for fiscal year 2025, 

8 $2,690,000,000 in additional new 

9 budget authority; and 

10 ‘‘(X) for fiscal year 2026, 

11 $2,690,000,000 in additional new 

12 budget authority. 

13 ‘‘(iii) AVERAGE COST AND OUTYEAR

14 CALCULATIONS.—The 10-year average of 

15 the costs for wildfire suppression oper16 ations and the outyear forecasts of the 

17 costs for wildfire suppression operations 

18 shall be— 

19 ‘‘(I) calculated annually; and 

20 ‘‘(II) reported in the budget of 

21 the President submitted under section 

22 1105(a) of title 31, United States 

23 Code, for each fiscal year.’’. 

24 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—If the Secretary of 

25 the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture determines 


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1 that supplemental appropriations are necessary for a fiscal 

2 year for wildfire suppression operations (as defined in sub3 paragraph (E)(i) of section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced 

4 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 

5 U.S.C. 901(b)(2))), the Secretary of the Interior or the 

6 Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, shall— 

7 (1) promptly submit to Congress a request for 

8 the supplemental appropriations; and 

9 (2) not later than 30 days after the date on 

10 which the supplemental appropriations are made 

11 available, submit to Congress a plan describing the 

12 manner in which the Secretary of the Interior or the 

13 Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, intends to 

14 obligate the supplemental appropriations. 

Æ 


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