Wildfire Response Improvement Act

Bill: 119-hr-1393
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4]
Introduced: 2025-02-14
Policy area: Emergency Management
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-14
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Wildfire Response Improvement Act</strong></p><p>This bill expands certain wildfire management assistance to beyond the time when the fire occurs and requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update various programmatic guidance relating to wildfire response and cost-effectiveness criteria for wildfire mitigation projects.</p><p>Currently, in general, government entities’ costs for fighting wildfires are only eligible for assistance under the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Program if the costs are incurred during the incident period (i.e., time during which the fire occurs). The bill requires&nbsp;FEMA to modify the FMAG&nbsp;Program so that assessments and emergency stabilization to protect public safety are eligible for FMAG assistance regardless of when the incident period begins or ends.</p><p>The bill also requires&nbsp;FEMA to review and update its evaluation criteria for the cost-effectiveness of wildfire mitigation projects proposed under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program or Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and prioritize projects accordingly.</p><p>Additionally,&nbsp;FEMA must update its policy guide for the Public Assistance program to include guidance on challenges with wildfire recovery, including the resulting toxicity of drinking water resources.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1393 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 14, 2025 Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. LaMalfa ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct a review of the criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of certain mitigation projects, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wildfire Response Improvement Act . 2. Fire management assistance program policy Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall recommend such regulations or guidance as are necessary to make eligible assessments and emergency stabilization to protect public safety, including for the fire management assistance program under section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5187 ), irrespective of the incident period for a declared fire. 3. Changes to public assistance policy guide Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall amend the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to include guidance on wildfire-specific recovery challenges, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the resulting toxicity of drinking water resources. 4. Mitigation cost-effectiveness (a) In general The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall conduct a review of the criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of projects intended to mitigate the impacts of wildfire under sections 203 and 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5133 ; 5170c), including— (1) the establishment of pre-calculated benefits criterion for common defensible space mitigation projects for wildfire mitigation; (2) the use of nature-based infrastructure in wildfire mitigation; (3) considerations for vegetation management for wildfire mitigation; (4) reducing the negative effects of wildfire smoke on public health; and (5) lessening the impact of wildfires on water infrastructure. (b) Updated criteria Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue such guidance as is necessary to— (1) update criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of mitigation projects under sections 203 and 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5133 ; 5170c) based on the results of the review conducted under subsection (a); and (2) prioritize projects under such sections based on the criteria updated under paragraph (1).