# Wildfire Recovery Act Plain Language Summary

When wildfires strike, the federal government helps pay for firefighting and recovery efforts through a program called fire management assistance. Right now, states and local governments have to cover a significant portion of these costs themselves, which can be a huge financial burden when dealing with massive fires. This bill changes that by guaranteeing that the federal government will pay at least 75 percent of the eligible costs for fire management assistance, meaning states and communities would only have to cover 25 percent or less instead of potentially much more.

The practical impact is straightforward: when a major wildfire happens, states won't be left struggling to find money to fight the fire or recover afterward. Instead of having to choose between paying for firefighting efforts and funding other critical services like schools or roads, communities can rely on the federal government to shoulder most of the financial burden. This is especially important for states that experience frequent or severe wildfires and might not have enough money in their budgets to handle multiple large fires in a single year.

The bill also requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create specific rules within one year that determine when the federal government might pay even more than 75 percent. These rules will use measurements of fire damage to decide if a particular fire is severe enough to warrant extra federal support. This means that catastrophic fires causing exceptional damage could potentially get more federal help than routine fires, ensuring that the worst disasters get the most assistance.

Wildfire Recovery Act

Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Wildfire Recovery Act This bill makes changes with respect to the federal cost share for Fire Management Assistance Grants and provides that the federal share shall be not less than 75% of the eligible cost. Specifically, the bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct and complete a rulemaking to develop guidelines and a rule that establishes thresholds for cases in which the federal cost share for such grants may be increased. Such thresholds shall use a fire-specific metric to determine fire damage and recommend a federal share adjustment for fire damage that meets the established thresholds.