Wildfire Recovery Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1066) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide flexibility with the cost share for fire management assistance, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1066

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 ``Wildfire Recovery Act''. SEC. 2. FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE COST SHARE.

(a) In General.--Section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is amended--

(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and

(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:

``(e) Federal Share.--The Federal share of assistance under this section shall be not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost of such assistance.''.

(b) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall only apply to amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. RULEMAKING.

Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall conduct and complete a rulemaking to provide criteria for the circumstances under which the Administrator may recommend the President increase the Federal cost share for section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187). Such criteria shall include a threshold metric that assesses the financial impact to a State or local government from responding to a fire for which fire management assistance is being provided.

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Ms. NORTON. 1066, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1066, the Wildfire Recovery Act, a bill introduced by Mr. Neguse from Colorado. This legislation will remove some of the financial burdens communities face after suppressing a wildfire.

Wildfires are causing an unprecedented amount of damage to the natural and built environment. This bill will require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover at least 75 percent of the costs to suppress wildfires that qualify for a Fire Management Assistance Grant. Local officials have said that this fix would allow them to speed up the recovery process and invest more money in mitigation efforts.

Rural communities that typically receive this type of grant assistance will benefit most from this legislation. Providing more Federal assistance in the wake of the worst fires will assist stretched local budgets.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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