Title: Wildfire Regulatory Relief Act of 2018
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Wildfire Regulatory Relief Act of 2018
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Department of Agriculture to allow harvesting, grazing, or other commercial use of the forage on conservation reserve program lands when a governor declares a state of emergency.
The bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to require the President, in evaluating a major disaster declaration request, to consider any impacts of the disaster that: (1) will impede the recovery efforts of affected individuals or the community; and (2) may not be addressed under disaster programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but are addressed by other disaster programs.
The bill amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to require FEMA to include within the emergency management performance grants program grants supporting joint interagency cooperation between state agencies responsible for responding to wildfires.
Not later than 15 days after the President declares a major disaster under the Stafford Act, or after a state of emergency is declared by a governor, the appropriate federal banking agencies and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall issue guidance to depository institutions located in the disaster area for reducing regulatory burdens for borrowers and communities to facilitate recovery from the disaster.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2299 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2299

 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide wildfire regulatory 
   relief, to modify the evaluation of a major disaster declaration 
request, to provide regulatory relief for banks during major disasters, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 11, 2018

 Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Udall) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide wildfire regulatory 
   relief, to modify the evaluation of a major disaster declaration 
request, to provide regulatory relief for banks during major disasters, 
                        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 Regulatory Relief Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. USE OF LAND IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY.

    Section 1233(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3833(b)) is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
following:
            ``(1) harvesting, grazing, or other commercial use of the 
        forage, without any reduction in the rental rate, in response 
        to--
                    ``(A) drought;
                    ``(B) flooding;
                    ``(C) a state of emergency that--
                            ``(i) is declared by the Governor of the 
                        State in which the land that is subject to a 
                        contract under the conservation reserve program 
                        is located; and
                            ``(ii) covers any part of the State or the 
                        entire State; or
                    ``(D) other emergency;''.

SEC. 3. EVALUATING A MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATION REQUEST.

    Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(d) Consideration of Requests.--
            ``(1) In general.--In evaluating a request for a 
        declaration under this section, the President shall take into 
        consideration any impacts of the disaster that--
                    ``(A) will impede the recovery efforts of affected 
                individuals or community; and
                    ``(B) may not be addressed under disaster programs 
                administered by the Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency, but that are addressed by other disaster 
                programs, such as the disaster loan program authorized 
                under section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
                636(b)) and programs authorized under section 1501 of 
                the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081).
            ``(2) Agricultural fence lines.--
                    ``(A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term 
                `agricultural fence line' means a physical barrier 
                placed for the purpose of defining the edge or boundary 
                of an area used for agricultural purpose.
                    ``(B) Consideration.--In considering the impacts of 
                a disaster required to be considered under paragraph 
                (1), the President shall consider the costs of 
                replacing an agricultural fence line.''.

SEC. 4. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GRANTS.

    Section 662(b) of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act 
of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 762(b)) is amended by inserting ``, including 
supporting joint interagency cooperation between State agencies 
responsible for responding to wildfires,'' after ``hazards''.

SEC. 5. REGULATORY RELIEF FOR BANKS DURING MAJOR DISASTERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the terms ``appropriate Federal banking agency'' and 
        ``depository institution'' have the meanings given those terms 
        in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 
        1813); and
            (2) the term ``major disaster'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
        and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
    (b) Requirement.--Not later than 15 days after the date on which 
the President declares a major disaster under section 401 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170), or not later than 15 days after a state of emergency is declared 
by a Governor of a State for all or part of that State, the appropriate 
Federal banking agencies and the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
Protection shall issue guidance to depository institutions located in 
the area for which the President declared the major disaster or the 
Governor declared a state of emergency, as applicable, for reducing 
regulatory burdens for borrowers and communities in order to facilitate 
recovery from the major disaster.
    (c) Contents.--Guidance issued under subsection (b) shall include 
instructions from the appropriate Federal banking agency or the Bureau 
of Consumer Financial Protection, as applicable, regarding--
            (1) extending repayment terms, adjusting existing loans, 
        and easing terms for new loans, in accordance with prudent 
        banking practices that involve appropriate monitoring;
            (2) providing relief from reporting and publishing 
        requirements, including by accepting delayed filing and 
        publishing of reports by depository institutions in areas 
        affected by the major disaster or covered by the state of 
        emergency, as applicable;
            (3) taking appropriate actions to stabilize investments in 
        local government projects affected by the major disaster or 
        covered by the state of emergency, as applicable;
            (4) promoting awareness of the eligibility of depository 
        institutions for loans or investments made in areas affected by 
        the major disaster or covered by the state of emergency, as 
        applicable, under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (12 
        U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and
            (5) such other issues as determined appropriate by the 
        appropriate Federal banking agency or the Bureau of Consumer 
        Financial Protection, as applicable.
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