The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies is urging Congress to quickly reintroduce and pass critical resilience and mitigation legislation, including the Fix Our Forests and Promoting Resilient Buildings Acts. As Americans reckon with more severe and unpredictable weather, it is imperative to advance bills that would arm homeowners, communities, and relevant agencies with the tools necessary to combat increased risks and harden the built environment.
“The catastrophic wildfires continue to wreak havoc on California residents and communities, and insurers stand ready to help on the long road to recovery. The process will be long and difficult for victims, but it should motivate Congress to reduce the threat of massive wildfires like these,” said Jimi Grande, senior vice president of federal and political affairs for NAMIC. “We can’t control the winds, but we can reduce the fuel for wildfires and strengthen our defenses to keep them from spreading.”
Introduced in the 118th Congress by Reps. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Scott Peters, D-Calif., the Fix Our Forests Act would help curb wildfire risk through enhanced forest management and increased resiliency efforts. It was passed by the House but was never taken up in the Senate. The bill included provisions to utilize state-of-the-art science to prioritize treatment of forests at the highest risk of wildfire, make communities more resilient by coordinating and improving grant programs to mitigate wildfire risk on the front-end, advance scientific research on wildfire resilience and land management in the Wildland Urban Interface, and support the adoption of fire-resistant building methods, codes, and standards – proven methods to reduce losses.
Another key bill that should be prioritized is the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act. This bipartisan proposal, led by Reps. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. and Donald Norcross, D-N.J., would allow communities to adopt stronger, up-to-date building codes and establish a residential retrofit pilot program within FEMA to harden existing structures. The measure passed the House but again failed to cross the finish line in the Upper Chamber.
“Congress should provide recovery aid for the victims of the California wildfires, as they did in December for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, but it can also act now to help prevent more Americans from becoming victims of the next disaster,” Grande said. “The Fix Our Forests and Promoting Resilient Buildings Acts offer bipartisan and commonsense solutions that will reduce risk and better protect our communities.”
Post Details
Publish Date
January 15, 2025
News Type
- Media Release
Topics
- California Wildfires
- Disaster Mitigation
- National
Points of Contact
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