House Committee Advances Wildfire Risk Bill

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to send the Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R.7070, for consideration by the full House of Representatives during a Jan. 31 meeting, with just one technical amendment added from Rep. Garret Graves, R-La.

The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., and Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make various updates and provide recommendations for improvements around wildfire preparedness and recovery. These pertain specifically to FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance, Public Assistance, and Mitigation Cost-Effectiveness programs. All updates would be required no later than one year after the date of enactment.

NAMIC is supportive of the measure as a meaningful step toward handling and responding to increasing wildfires across the country. It would expand and enhance federal post-wildfire risk efforts for events such as flooding and mudslides, for state and local communities in need in addition to refining pre-disaster mitigation efforts. After the bill was approved by the committee, the association released the following statement: NAMIC Applauds House Committee Passage of Wildfire Response Improvement Act.

NAMIC will now advocate for the bill to be approved by the full House and for it to be taken up by relevant Senate committees.