NAMIC Welcomes House Passage of the Fix Our Forests Act, Urges Senate Action

WASHINGTON (Jan. 23, 2025) – The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies is urging the Senate to advance legislation passed by the House today to help improve land management and reduce the risk of massive wildfires.

Introduced 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.

“As firefighters continue to combat the wildfires devastating California, the House took an important step in helping prevent Americans from becoming victims of the next wildfire,” said Jimi Grande, senior vice president of federal and political affairs for NAMIC. “More people are living in areas that are at great risk from wildfires. The Fix Our Forests Act would promote research and state-of-the-art technology to improve forest management and foster mitigation and modern building codes to protect homeowners and their communities.”

The bill prioritizes treatment of forests at the highest risk of wildfire and coordinates grant programs for community mitigation efforts. It also promotes research on wildfire resilience and land management in the wildland urban interface and supports the adoption of fire-resistant building methods, codes, and standards – proven methods to reduce losses.

“We can’t prevent every wildfire, but Congress can ensure that we are doing everything possible to reduce the risks they pose to our communities,” Grande said. “The Fix Our Forests Act sets safeguards to contain wildfire outbreaks and the damage they cause. NAMIC applauds the House for swiftly advancing this critical legislation amid the destructive California wildfires, and urges the Senate to quickly take and pass this much-needed legislation.”

NAMIC membership reflects many of the country’s largest national insurers as well as regional and local mutual insurance companies on main streets across America. NAMIC members write $383 billion in annual premiums and account for 61 percent of homeowners, 48 percent of the automobile, and 25 percent of the business insurance markets.