I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5091 
To establish a community wildfire defense grant program, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2019 
Mr. HUFFMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 wildfire defense grant program, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wildfire Defense Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency. 
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(2) CHIEF.—The term ‘‘Chief’’ means the Chief 
of the Forest Service. 
(3) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE PLAN.— 
The term ‘‘community wildfire defense plan’’ means 
a plan that— 
(A) is developed by an eligible entity in co-
ordination with— 
(i) the local community and govern-
ment; 
(ii) local law enforcement, firefighters, 
first responders, fire managers, and utili-
ties; and 
(iii) State agencies responsible for 
emergency response and forest manage-
ment; 
(B) includes strategies and activities relat-
ing to— 
(i) improving evacuations and access 
for first responders; 
(ii) addressing vulnerable populations, 
including the elderly, those with disabil-
ities, and the homeless; 
(iii) hardening and increasing the re-
siliency of critical infrastructure and 
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homes, including through incentive pro-
grams; 
(iv) applying community-scale defen-
sible space projects across contiguous 
areas; 
(v) building local capacity to imple-
ment and oversee the plan; 
(vi) implementing strategic land use 
planning; 
(vii) deploying distributed energy re-
sources that do not increase dependence on 
fossil fuels; 
(viii) educating community members; 
(ix) coordinating any existing wildfire 
plans such as a community wildfire protec-
tion plan or a community emergency evac-
uation plan; and 
(x) incorporating information from a 
map generated pursuant to section 210(a) 
of division O of the Consolidated Appro-
priations Act, 2018 (16 U.S.C. 6501 note; 
Public Law 115–141); and 
(C) may consist of existing plans or other 
efforts, provided that the plan complies with 
subparagraphs (A) and (B). 
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(4) CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 
‘‘critical infrastructure’’ means any public safety, 
health, education, transportation, communications, 
or water or power utility infrastructure or any pri-
vate infrastructure necessary to preserve community 
safety or resilience to a wildfire threat. 
(5) DEFENSIBLE SPACE PROJECT.—The term 
‘‘defensible space project’’— 
(A) means a project that is conducted 
within a radius of not more than 100 feet 
around homes, businesses, and administrative 
facilities, and is comprised of vegetation prun-
ing, such as annual removal of tree seedlings 
and saplings, lower limbs of mature trees, cut-
ting of grasses and reducing density and con-
tinuity of shrubs, and removal of most small 
twigs and leaves; or 
(B) at the discretion of the Administrator, 
if a project funded under the program is being 
carried out in a State that has established by 
law a more restrictive definition of the term, 
has the meaning given the term in State law. 
(6) DISTRIBUTED
ENERGY
RESOURCE.—The 
term ‘‘distributed energy resource’’ means a tech-
nology that, collectively or individually, increases 
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local energy resilience, such as microgrids, batteries, 
thermal storage, combined heat and power, fuel 
cells, electric vehicles, demand response, energy effi-
ciency, smart inverters, and geothermal heat pumps. 
(7) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State or unit of general local or re-
gional government; 
(B) an Indian Tribe; or 
(C) a joint powers authority formed by not 
less than 2 entities described in subparagraph 
(A) or (B). 
(8) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low- 
income community’’ means a census tract, as deter-
mined by the Administrator based on objective cri-
teria, where a substantial population or percentage 
of population of low-income individuals reside, an in-
adequate access to capital exists, or other indication 
of economic distress exist. 
(9) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the grant program established under section 3(a). 
(10) SEVERE
DISASTER
IMPACTED
COMMU-
NITY.—The term ‘‘severe disaster impacted commu-
nity’’ means a unit of local government or an Indian 
Tribe located in an area for which the President de-
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clared a major disaster under section 401 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) during the pre-
ceding 5-year period. 
SEC. 3. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
establish a program, which shall be separate from the pro-
gram established under section 203 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5133), under which the Administrator, in coordina-
tion with the Chief, shall award grants to eligible entities 
to— 
(1) in the case of an eligible entity that has a 
community wildfire defense plan, carry out projects 
described in the community wildfire defense plan of 
the eligible entity in accordance with subsection (c); 
or 
(2) in the case of an eligible entity that does 
not have a community wildfire defense plan, develop 
a community wildfire defense plan in accordance 
with subsection (d). 
(b) CRITERIA FOR GRANTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
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trator, in coordination with the Chief, shall establish 
criteria to award grants under the program. 
(2) COMMUNITIES.—Amounts provided under 
the program shall be used to conduct projects and 
activities only in communities in existence on the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the 
program, the Administrator shall give priority to eli-
gible entities that will carry out projects or plans 
supporting— 
(A) a low-income community in a fire-haz-
ard area, as identified by a State wildfire haz-
ard map or the most recent wildfire hazard po-
tential map from the Secretary of Agriculture; 
or 
(B) a severe disaster impacted community 
in a fire-hazard area, as identified by a State 
wildfire hazard map or the most recent wildfire 
hazard potential map from the Secretary of Ag-
riculture. 
(c) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANTS.— 
(1) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under the program must use 
grant funds to carry out projects that support a di-
verse portfolio of community wildfire defense strate-
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gies described in the community wildfire defense 
plan of the eligible entity. 
(2) GRANT
AMOUNTS.—An award under this 
subsection shall be for not more than $10,000,000. 
(d) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE PLAN DEVEL-
OPMENT GRANTS.— 
(1) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under the program may use 
grant funds to develop a community wildfire defense 
plan for the eligible entity. 
(2) GRANT
AMOUNTS.—An award under this 
subsection shall be for not more than $250,000. 
(e) PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CONTRACTORS AND 
LABOR.—In carrying out a project using a grant awarded 
under the program, the grant recipient shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, give preference to contracting 
with entities, and hiring individuals, from the area in 
which the project is being carried out, including by 
partnering with local corps groups such as AmeriCorps or 
a conservation corps. 
(f) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.—The non-Fed-
eral share of the cost (including the administrative cost) 
of carrying out a project using funds from a grant award-
ed under the program— 
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(1)(A) shall be not less than 25 percent for a 
grant described in subsection (c); and 
(B) shall be 0 percent for a grant described in 
subsection (d); 
(2) may be provided by— 
(A) a State, a unit of local government, an 
Indian Tribe, a nonprofit organization, private 
industry, or a combination of those entities; or 
(B) volunteer hours and in-kind donations; 
and 
(3) may, in the case of a project that serves a 
low-income community, be in the form of a low-in-
terest Federal loan to the eligible entity carrying out 
the project through the Community Disaster Loan 
program authorized under section 417 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5184). 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the pro-
gram $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
through 2025. 
SEC. 4. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Government Accountability Office shall 
publish a report— 
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(1) on authorities and programs across the 
Federal Government that are available to protect 
communities from wildfires; and 
(2) that assesses impediments to implementa-
tion of those programs and gaps in funding. 
SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Government Accountability Office shall 
publish a study— 
(1) on the potential for a community wildfire 
defense plan to qualify for a certification identifying 
a level of wildfire survivability and resilience; 
(2) that assesses what metrics might provide in-
surance companies assurance that a community has 
wildfire resilience measures; and 
(3) how to incentivize insurance companies to 
accept the certification. 
SEC. 6. UPDATING LIST OF AT-RISK COMMUNITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101(1)(A) of the Healthy 
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511(1)(A)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘comprised of’’ in the matter pre-
ceding clause (i) and all that follows through ‘‘a group’’ 
in clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘comprised of a group’’. 
(b) MAPS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, 
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