H.R. 5652: Wildfire Recovery Act

This bill provides flexibility to increase the federal cost share for the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It also requires updates to FMAG policy to remove limitations on reimbursement for predeployment of firefighting assets.

Under current law, FEMA’s regulations require a 75% federal cost share for FMAG assistance and do not permit adjustments. The bill establishes FMAG’s 75% federal cost share as a minimum, providing flexibility for such percentage to be increased in certain instances. It also requires FEMA to establish by regulation criteria through which FEMA may recommend the President increase FMAG’s federal cost share above 75%. Such criteria must include a financial threshold, relating to the costs of state or local government response to a fire triggering FMAG assistance, above which FEMA may recommend the President increase the federal cost share.

Also, currently, FMAG may reimburse costs for pre-positioning firefighting resources into areas of higher fire danger up to 21 days before a declared fire. However, under current FMAG policy, costs for pre-positioning state or local government-owned resources within their own state are ineligible. The bill requires FEMA to update FMAG grants policy to allow reimbursement for predeployment of domestic assets by state, local, or Indian tribal governments in a manner consistent with other FEMA programs.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.