Wildfire and Community Health Response Act of 2020

Bill: 116-hr-6546
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
Introduced: 2020-04-17
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Congressional oversight

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Fires

First responders and emergency personnel

Forests, forestry, trees

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Parks, recreation areas, trails
Latest action: action_date: 2020-04-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-04-17
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Wildfire and Community Health Response Act of 2020 </b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Agriculture, for National Forest System lands, and the Department of the Interior, for public lands, by May 31, 2020, to jointly submit to Congress a report on their activities to </p> <ul> <li>mitigate wildfire risk during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, including activities to minimize the impact of wildfires on the respiratory health of communities; </li> <li>identify methods of fuels reduction used during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize the threat of wildfire on such lands; and </li> <li>slow the spread of COVID-19 between firefighters and emergency response teams.</li> </ul> <p>Such report shall also include the recommendations of the departments with respect to the federal support necessary to carry out these activities. </p> <p>Not later than December 31, 2020, such departments shall jointly submit to Congress a report on (1) the activities and recommendations, and (2) the outcomes of forest and wildfire management in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recommendations of the departments with respect to such outcomes.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6546 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 17, 2020 Mr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Curtis ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to jointly report to Congress on certain efforts to address the COVID–19 pandemic, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wildfire and Community Health Response Act of 2020 . 2. Report on wildfire risk during COVID–19 pandemic (a) First report Not later than May 31, 2020, the Secretaries concerned shall jointly submit to Congress a report on— (1) the activities that the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, respectively, have carried out, are carrying out, or will carry out to— (A) mitigate wildfire risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, including activities to minimize the impact of wildfires on the respiratory health of communities; (B) identify methods of fuels reduction used during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize the threat of wildfire on National Forest System lands and public lands; and (C) slow the spread of COVID–19 between firefighters and emergency response teams; and (2) the recommendations of the Secretaries concerned with respect to the Federal support necessary to carry out the activities described in paragraph (1). (b) Second report Not later than December 31, 2020, the Secretaries concerned shall jointly submit to Congress a report on— (1) the activities and recommendations described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a); and (2) the outcomes of the forest and wildfire management in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recommendations of the Secretaries with respect to such outcomes. (c) Secretaries concerned defined In this section, the term Secretaries concerned means— (1) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System lands; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands.