Title: Wildfire Disaster Funding Act
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act
This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2026 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior.
If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds.
The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1842 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wildfire Disaster Funding Act''.

SEC. 2. WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING AUTHORITY.

    (a) Disaster Funding.--Section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget 
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)) is 
amended--
            (1) in clause (i)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), by 
                striking ``the total of--'' and inserting ``an amount 
                equal to the difference between--'';
                    (B) by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) as 
                items (aa) and (bb), respectively, and indenting the 
                items appropriately;
                    (C) by inserting before item (aa) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
                                    ``(I) the sum obtained by adding--
                                '';
                    (D) in item (bb) of subclause (I) (as so 
                redesignated)--
                            (i) by striking ``subclause (I)'' and 
                        inserting ``item (aa)''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and''; and
                    (E) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(II) the additional new budget 
                                authority provided in an appropriations 
                                Act for wildfire suppression operations 
                                pursuant to subparagraph (E) for the 
                                preceding fiscal year.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) Beginning in fiscal year 2018 and for 
                        each fiscal year thereafter, the calculation of 
                        the `average funding provided for disaster 
                        relief over the previous 10 years' shall 
                        include, for each fiscal year during that 
                        period, the additional new budget authority 
                        provided in an appropriations Act for wildfire 
                        suppression operations pursuant to subparagraph 
                        (E) for the preceding fiscal year.''.
    (b) Wildfire Suppression.--Section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget 
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) Wildfire suppression.--
                            ``(i) Definitions.--In this subparagraph:
                                    ``(I) Additional new budget 
                                authority.--The term `additional new 
                                budget authority' means the amount 
                                provided for a fiscal year in an 
                                appropriations Act that is--
                                            ``(aa) in excess of the 10-
                                        year average of the costs for 
                                        wildfire suppression 
                                        operations, as calculated for 
                                        fiscal year 2015; and
                                            ``(bb) specified to pay for 
                                        the costs of wildfire 
                                        suppression operations.
                                    ``(II) Wildfire suppression 
                                operations.--The term `wildfire 
                                suppression operations' means the 
                                emergency and unpredictable aspects of 
                                wildland firefighting including--
                                            ``(aa) support, response, 
                                        and emergency stabilization 
                                        activities;
                                            ``(bb) other emergency 
                                        management activities; and
                                            ``(cc) the funds necessary 
                                        to repay any transfers needed 
                                        for the costs of wildfire 
                                        suppression operations.
                            ``(ii) Additional new budget authority.--If 
                        a bill or joint resolution making 
                        appropriations for a fiscal year is enacted 
                        that specifies an amount for wildfire 
                        suppression operations in the Wildland Fire 
                        Management accounts at the Department of 
                        Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, 
                        the adjustments for that fiscal year shall be 
                        the amount of additional new budget authority 
                        provided in that Act for wildfire suppression 
                        operations for that fiscal year, but shall not 
                        exceed--
                                    ``(I) for fiscal year 2017, 
                                $1,410,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(II) for fiscal year 2018, 
                                $1,460,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(III) for fiscal year 2019, 
                                $1,560,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IV) for fiscal year 2020, 
                                $1,780,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(V) for fiscal year 2021, 
                                $2,030,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(VI) for fiscal year 2022, 
                                $2,320,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(VII) for fiscal year 2023, 
                                $2,650,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(VIII) for fiscal year 2024, 
                                $2,690,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority;
                                    ``(IX) for fiscal year 2025, 
                                $2,690,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority; and
                                    ``(X) for fiscal year 2026, 
                                $2,690,000,000 in additional new budget 
                                authority.
                            ``(iii) Average cost and outyear 
                        calculations.--The 10-year average of the costs 
                        for wildfire suppression operations and the 
                        outyear forecasts of the costs for wildfire 
                        suppression operations shall be--
                                    ``(I) calculated annually; and
                                    ``(II) reported in the budget of 
                                the President submitted under section 
                                1105(a) of title 31, United States 
                                Code, for each fiscal year.''.
    (c) Reporting Requirements.--If the Secretary of the Interior or 
the Secretary of Agriculture determines that supplemental 
appropriations are necessary for a fiscal year for wildfire suppression 
operations (as defined in subparagraph (E)(i) of section 251(b)(2) of 
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 
901(b)(2))), the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of 
Agriculture, as applicable, shall--
            (1) promptly submit to Congress a request for the 
        supplemental appropriations; and
            (2) not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
        supplemental appropriations are made available, submit to 
        Congress a plan describing the manner in which the Secretary of 
        the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, 
        intends to obligate the supplemental appropriations.
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