HR 1923 · In committee · last action March 28, 2025
<p><strong>Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill addresses wildfires by expanding emergency and disaster assistance, establishing scientific monitoring, and increasing assistance for firefighting personnel. The bill is based on recommendations in a 2023 report from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, a congressionally established group of public and private experts.</p><p>The bill expands and expedites federal assistance for wildfire response, recovery, and mitigation by</p><ul><li>expanding presidential wildfire emergency and major disaster declarations to include natural hazard events stemming from the wildfire (e.g., landslides, floods) within three years after the fire,</li><li>requiring payment to recipients within 90 days for certain emergency land restoration and disaster assistance for wildfires, and</li><li>requiring increased accessibility of wildfire risk reduction and recovery grants.</li></ul><p>Additionally, it authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to allow certain emergency and disaster grant recipients to use unexpended management cost funds for five years, including for capacity-building.</p><p>The bill requires federal agencies to enhance scientific wildfire monitoring and analysis by</p><ul><li>establishing a Joint Office of the Fire Environment Center to provide information and services to support community decision-making,</li><li>establishing a national smoke monitoring and alert system for wildfire smoke, and</li><li>developing dynamic risk maps.</li></ul><p>The bill increases assistance for wildland firefighting personnel by</p><ul><li>establishing grants to colleges and training programs for educational or vocational programs in wildfire emergency management,</li><li>increasing flexibility for wildland firefighters to retain retirement benefits, and</li><li>establishing assistance (e.g., notification, counseling) for families of wildland firefighting personnel who are critically injured or killed.</li></ul>
Josh Harder (D-CA)
No votes recorded against this bill yet — vote coverage is a work in progress.
<p><strong>Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill addresses wildfires by expanding emergency and disaster assistance, establishing scientific monitoring, and increasing assistance for firefighting personnel. The bill is based on recommendations in a 2023 report from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, a congressionally established group of public and private experts.</p><p>The bill expands and expedites federal assistance for wildfire response, recovery, and mitigation by</p><ul><li>expanding presidential wildfire emergency and major disaster declarations to include natural hazard events stemming from the wildfire (e.g., landslides, floods) within three years after the fire,</li><li>requiring payment to recipients within 90 days for certain emergency land restoration and disaster assistance for wildfires, and</li><li>requiring increased accessibility of wildfire risk reduction and recovery grants.</li></ul><p>Additionally, it authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to allow certain emergency and disaster grant recipients to use unexpended management cost funds for five years, including for capacity-building.</p><p>The bill requires federal agencies to enhance scientific wildfire monitoring and analysis by</p><ul><li>establishing a Joint Office of the Fire Environment Center to provide information and services to support community decision-making,</li><li>establishing a national smoke monitoring and alert system for wildfire smoke, and</li><li>developing dynamic risk maps.</li></ul><p>The bill increases assistance for wildland firefighting personnel by</p><ul><li>establishing grants to colleges and training programs for educational or vocational programs in wildfire emergency management,</li><li>increasing flexibility for wildland firefighters to retain retirement benefits, and</li><li>establishing assistance (e.g., notification, counseling) for families of wildland firefighting personnel who are critically injured or killed.</li></ul>