115 HR 7070 RH: Wildfire Response Improvement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2024-12-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IBUnion Calendar No. 763118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 7070[Report No. 118–933]IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJanuary 22, 2024Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureDecember 19, 2024Additional sponsors: Ms. Titus, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Harder of California, Mr. Case, Mr. Neguse, and Mr. LevinDecember 19, 2024Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printedStrike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italicFor text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 22, 2024A BILLTo 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).

5.

Waiver of duplicate benefits

Section 1210(a) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–254) is amended—(1)in paragraph (3) by striking between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021 and inserting during the period beginning on January 1, 2016, and ending on the date on which the provision contained in such amendment is struck pursuant to paragraph (4);(2)in paragraph (4) by striking 5 and inserting 10;(3)by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and(4)by inserting after paragraph (4) the following: (5)

Prohibition on income threshold

In carrying out the amendment made by paragraph (1), no income threshold may be applied to limit the eligibility of a recipient from qualifying for a waiver under the amendment made by such paragraph..

December 19, 2024Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed