[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3767-H3769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CROSS-BOUNDARY WILDFIRE SOLUTIONS ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3922) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States
to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that
enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries
on Federal and non-Federal land, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3922
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 ``Cross-Boundary Wildfire
Solutions Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means--
(A) each Federal land management agency (as defined in
section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
(16 U.S.C. 6801));
(B) the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
(C) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(D) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(E) the United States Fire Administration;
(F) States;
(G) Indian Tribes; and
(H) local governments.
(2) Covered authority.--The term ``covered authority''
means--
(A) the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C.
6501 et seq.);
(B) the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2101 et seq.);
(C) the good neighbor authority under section 8206 of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a);
(D) the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (25 U.S.C.
3101 et seq.);
(E) the collaborative forest landscape restoration program
under section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act
of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303); and
(F) any other statutory authority that facilitates cross-
boundary wildfire mitigation or forest health improvement
activities, as determined by the Comptroller General of the
United States.
SEC. 3. STUDY ON WILDFIRE MITIGATION ACROSS LAND OWNERSHIP
BOUNDARIES.
(a) Study Required.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study on--
(1) the existing Federal programs, rules, and authorities
that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation from being
completed across land ownership boundaries on Federal and
non-Federal land;
(2) whether changes to any program, rule, or authority
(including changes to existing statutory definitions)
identified pursuant to paragraph (1) would--
(A) allow a covered agency increased capacity or access to
funding to mitigate wildfires or improve forest health; and
(B) enable better community protection and prevent the loss
of structures due to wildfire; and
(3) the activities carried out pursuant to a covered
authority, including--
(A) how to improve the efficacy of such activities with
respect to mitigating wildfire; and
(B) whether the enactment of such covered authority has
increased capacity or access to funding to mitigate wildfires
for a covered agency.
(b) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources and
the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the
Senate a report that contains--
(1) the results of the study required under subsection (a);
and
(2) recommendations to simplify cross-boundary wildfire
mitigation between Federal land management agencies and
State, local, and Tribal governments.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms.
Stansbury) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3922, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3922, the Cross-Boundary
Wildfire Solutions Act, a bipartisan bill led by Representatives Neguse
and Kim. This important, straightforward legislation directs the
Government Accountability Office to conduct a study analyzing barriers
to cross-boundary forest management between the Federal Government and
non-Federal partners.
Catastrophic wildfires do not respect manmade boundaries. They burn
across a patchwork of Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private lands,
wreaking havoc all along the way. Confronting our Nation's forest
health and wildfire crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach with
stronger coordination and collaboration across all jurisdictions.
Tools like Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship have
successfully allowed non-Federal partners to work with Federal agencies
to carry out cross-boundary treatments to restore forest health and
mitigate wildfire threats.
Recently, the Trump administration signed a new Shared Stewardship
agreement with Montana to treat up to 200,000 acres of fire-prone,
overgrown forest.
Just last week, another Shared Stewardship agreement was signed
between the Forest Service and South Dakota, which will allow more
fuels reduction treatments on South Dakota's nearly 2 million acres of
forest land.
This type of proactive collaboration is exactly what is needed,
especially as we approach the height of what some are anticipating will
be one of the worst wildfire years on record. However, more can be done
to remove barriers that limit cross-boundary efforts, improve
coordination, and reduce fragmentation and duplication across programs.
H.R. 3922 will help address these challenges by directing the
Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of wildfire
mitigation efforts across Federal and non-Federal lands.
This legislation requires an examination of Federal programs, rules,
and authorities to determine which policies are supporting cross-
boundary efforts and which are inhibiting them. The
[[Page H3768]]
study will also identify necessary changes to improve and increase
wildfire mitigation efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3922, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC, May 26, 2026.
Hon. Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual
understanding regarding H.R. 3922, the ``Cross-Boundary
Wildfire Solutions Act.'' Thank you for collaborating with
the Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our
jurisdiction.
The Committee on Agriculture will forgo any further
consideration of this bill. However, by forgoing
consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction
over any subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the
right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees, should it become necessary, and ask that you
support such a request.
We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming
this understanding with respect to H.R. 3922 and request a
copy of our letters on this matter be published in the
Congressional Record during Floor consideration.
Sincerely,
Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, May 26, 2026.
Hon. Glenn Thompson,
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Thompson: I write regarding H.R. 3922, the
``Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act,'' which was ordered
reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on February
11, 2026.
I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall
within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture and
appreciate your willingness to forgo further consideration of
the bill. I acknowledge that the Committee on Agriculture
will not formally consider H.R. 3922 and agree that the
inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not
waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained
therein.
I am pleased to support your request to name members of the
Committee on Agriculture to any conference committee to
consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange of
letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill and will include such letters in
the committee report on H.R. 3922. I appreciate your
cooperation regarding this legislation.
Sincerely,
Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, sponsored by
Mr. Joe Neguse, would direct the Government Accountability Office, or
GAO, to study the existing Federal programs, rules, and authorities
that either enable or inhibit cross-boundary wildfire mitigation.
As we all know, wildfires do not respect property lines or
jurisdictional boundaries. Yet, our mitigation efforts are too often
hindered by the complex borders between Federal, State, local, and
Tribal lands. This bill takes direct aim at this problem by answering
recommendation 24 from the bipartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation and
Management Commission report.
We need to know what is working and what is standing in the way. By
identifying these gaps, we can improve collaboration, ensure all levels
of government have better access to mitigation and funding, and build
far more effective wildfire strategies.
Ultimately, this legislation will enhance our capacity to manage
these crises, reduce the frequency and severity of devastating
wildfires, and protect our most vulnerable communities.
I wish to take a moment to congratulate the gentleman from Colorado
(Mr. Neguse), my colleague, for his exceptional leadership, not just on
this bill, but on wildfires in general, and for his work in advancing
critical legislation to protect our public lands.
Through his dedicated work leading the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and
serving as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands,
Representative Neguse has been a relentless champion for our
communities. This is exactly the kind of bipartisan leadership and
legislation needed to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep
our communities safe.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse).
Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, first, I thank my colleague from New Mexico
for her steadfast leadership, for the work that she has done as a
champion for the Southwest, the great State of New Mexico, and, of
course, her leadership on all matters connected to science. I am
grateful to her for her steadfast leadership and commitment.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr.
Westerman), the chairman of the full Committee on Natural Resources,
for giving me the opportunity to present this important legislation. I
certainly echo his remarks, the remarks from Representative Stansbury,
and, of course, the remarks of Ranking Member Huffman, as well.
It has been said, but I think it bears repeating: Wildfires do not
care if lands are Federal, State, or local. They don't respect manmade
boundaries or political jurisdictions.
To give you a sense of what that means on the ground level, I am
privileged to represent the great State of Colorado here in the U.S.
Congress. I represent a Congressional District that spans 12,000 square
miles. It is larger than eight States, most of which are on the Eastern
Seaboard.
Over half of my Congressional District is Federal public lands. I
represent three national forests, some of the most beautiful parts of
our country. When you represent a district as large and as rural as
mine, you see up close the damage and the devastation that comes from
wildfires.
Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, but in the last several years,
we have had some of the most devastating in the history of our State.
The Cameron Peak wildfire, the East Troublesome wildfire, these are
wildfires that raged across hundreds of thousands of acres of land,
Federal land, State land, and local land.
What we have learned during the course of those fires and in the wake
of that devastation is the critical need for partnership and for
wildfire mitigation that ultimately stretches across these political
boundaries.
It is the reason why, in the wake of the Cameron Peak fire in
particular, we created the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, bringing
together folks from across the political spectrum here in Washington,
D.C., to try to arrive at solutions like this bill, which I think could
make a real difference in saving lives in the Rocky Mountain West, in
my Congressional District, across the great State of Colorado, and
indeed across the country.
The Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act is simple. It is
straightforward. It will help us identify and resolve the challenges
that may exist with respect to gaps in wildfire mitigation across land
ownership types. It is a simple, straightforward, bipartisan solution,
and I am just delighted that we are able to come together on this
important bill that I have introduced.
Again, I thank you for your consideration. I hope we can all join in
passing this and getting it across the finish line.
{time} 1630
Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, to address the enormity of the wildfire
crisis, it is critical that we find ways to improve forest management
across manmade jurisdictional boundaries. H.R. 3922 is a good
bipartisan bill that will do just that by identifying existing Federal
policies that can be changed to streamline proactive forest management.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3922, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
[[Page H3769]]
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________