[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3532 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3532

    To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a periodic 
              wildfire assessment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2021

 Mr. O'Halleran (for himself, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Panetta) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 to carry out a periodic 
              wildfire assessment, 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. WILDFIRE PREPARATION, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY ASSESSMENT.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Assessment required.--The Secretary of Agriculture, 
        acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and in 
        consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall, not 
        less than once every 5 years, complete a wildfire assessment 
        that includes the analysis described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Contents of analysis.--The assessment required under 
        paragraph (1), shall, to the maximum extent practicable, with 
        respect to the preceding 5 years, include an analysis of--
                    (A) the direct costs of wildfire response, 
                preparation, and recovery, including--
                            (i) wildfire mitigation activities;
                            (ii) wildlife suppression activities;
                            (iii) insured private property losses due 
                        to wildfire;
                            (iv) uninsured private property losses due 
                        to wildfire;
                            (v) damage due to wildfire and the 
                        necessary repairs related to utility 
                        infrastructure, including shutoffs;
                            (vi) damage and loss of timber and other 
                        agricultural resources due to wildfire;
                            (vii) damage due to wildfire and the 
                        necessary restoration of archeological sites;
                            (viii) evacuations and emergency shelters;
                            (ix) labor;
                            (x) human health, including death, injury, 
                        and illness;
                            (xi) necessary infrastructure and 
                        stabilization repairs;
                            (xii) damage due to wildfire and the 
                        necessary rehabilitation of ecosystem services, 
                        including watershed impairment, vegetation, and 
                        soil impacts; and
                            (xiii) damage due to wildfire and the 
                        necessary restoration to wildlife habitat;
                    (B) the indirect costs of wildfire response, 
                preparation, and recovery, including--
                            (i) diminished tax revenue;
                            (ii) lost business revenue, including 
                        supply chain impacts; and
                            (iii) property devaluation and housing 
                        market impacts;
                    (C) whether the costs described in subparagraphs 
                (A) and (B) have been or will be paid by--
                            (i) the Federal government;
                            (ii) State or territory governments; or
                            (iii) county or local governments;
                    (D) a comparison between the analysis under such 
                assessment and the analysis under the preceding 
                assessment (as applicable); and
                    (E) any challenges to ascertaining the costs 
                described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), including 
                unavailable data.
    (b) Report Required.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this section, and once every 5 years thereafter, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
Service, shall submit to the President, the Committee on Agriculture of 
the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate the most recently completed 
assessment required under subsection (a)(1).
    (c) Collaboration.--In carrying out an assessment required under 
subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Agriculture may collaborate with 
relevant Federal agencies, State and local governments, research 
institutions, utility companies and cooperatives, and non-profit 
organizations.
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