Wildfire Response and Readiness Act
Sponsored By: Representative Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
Introduced
Summary
Expands prescribed fire and landscape-scale restoration to treat more acres, reduce extreme wildfire risk, and speed post-fire recovery across Federal, Tribal, and adjacent lands. It would also strengthen the wildland firefighter workforce and fund national data, smoke monitoring, and technology to guide decisions.
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- Workers: Creates new hiring and training pathways, rest-and-recuperation leave, expanded pay and hazard protections, retirement credit options, and targeted recruitment and veterans pilots to stabilize and grow the firefighting workforce.
- Tribes, landowners, and managers: Creates a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program requiring landscape restoration strategies (at least 50,000 acres), funds reforestation and nursery/seed programs (including up to $5.0 million per year for seed/nursery support), and speeds emergency watershed and post-fire rehabilitation tools and payments.
- Communities and homeowners: Funds community mitigation and defense, including a dedicated Community Wildfire Defense stream ($1.0 billion per year) and a Stafford Act household mitigation grant with a household cap of $10,000 per activity to help reduce home risk.
*Authorizes multiple new spending streams through FY2027–FY2036 — including a $1.0 billion annual Community Wildfire Defense fund, a $150 million annual NOAA Joint Office ceiling, $32 million for smoke monitoring, $20 million for satellite grants, and other program authorizations — which would increase federal spending if appropriated.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
14 provisions identified: 11 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Wildland firefighter retirement changes
If enacted, the bill would change federal retirement rules for wildland firefighters. It would let some prior non‑credited service count for firefighter retirement if workers make required elections and deposits. Overtime pay after enactment would count as basic pay for retirement calculations. Certain job‑related diseases would be treated as disabling sooner, and OPM must notify and help eligible people.
Up to $10K home mitigation grants
If enacted, the bill would create a new household pre-disaster mitigation program that gives States and Tribes money to fund qualifying home improvements. Households would be eligible for up to $10,000 per home, indexed by the Consumer Price Index, but grants cannot exceed the actual cost. Households with prior-year adjusted gross income over $250,000 (single) or $500,000 (joint) would be ineligible. FEMA would set detailed mitigation standards and the government would simplify grant applications and outreach to help communities apply.
More money for community wildfire grants
If enacted, the bill would authorize an additional $1,000,000,000 each fiscal year to the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program. The extra funding would expand grants for community wildfire risk‑reduction projects. Actual spending would depend on future appropriations.
National smoke alerts and monitoring
If enacted, the bill would create a national smoke monitoring and public alert system run by NOAA, the Forest Service, EPA, and CDC. The system would provide county-level smoke alerts and forecasts within 1 year of enactment. The EPA would expand use of additional monitors and satellites. Congress is authorized to fund $32 million each year for FY2027–FY2036 to run the system.
Higher pay and new firefighter benefits
If enacted, federal wildland firefighters would get a package of higher pay, bonuses, and new benefits. Pay rates would get annual CPI adjustments starting one year after enactment, and eligible firefighters could get hazard pay, a recruitment/retention bonus (minimum $1,000 CPI‑adjusted), housing allowances for deployments over 50 miles, and career transition tuition assistance (at least $4,000 per year). The bill also creates rest‑and‑recuperation paid leave after qualifying incident service, seven consecutive paid mental‑health days per year, stronger OWCP recognition for PTSD, expanded training and hiring pathways (Civilian Conservation Centers, Middle Fire Leaders Academy, workforce grants), a veterans pilot, and pathways for some formerly incarcerated firefighters. The bill also adds a special premium‑pay rule that could increase pay but caps total annual pay at Executive Schedule Level II unless waived, so it both raises pay options and limits aggregate pay.
Household mitigation, insurance, and grants
If enacted, the bill would make amounts received under the new household mitigation grant program non‑taxable. States and Tribes seeking grants must publish insurer guidance recommending incentives like discounts or premium credits for households that do qualifying mitigation. Grant plans must assess insurance availability and affordability, rank applicants using household income and disaster zone status, and list per‑household maximums. The President would also create a 50‑member advisory committee to review mitigation products and standards.
Workforce training, housing, and support
If enacted, the bill would expand hiring and training pathways for the wildfire workforce. Agencies could convert qualifying seasonal firefighters to permanent jobs without competition after three good seasons. Projects would be targeted for youth corps and nonprofits and matching requirements would be waived when possible. The bill would pilot student crews to renovate federal firefighter housing. Within 6 months, a casualty assistance program would be set up to help next‑of‑kin with travel, case management, and benefit navigation.
Faster post-fire payments and recovery funds
If enacted, several post-wildfire programs would be sped up and strengthened. Approved wildfire recovery payments, loans, and Stafford Act predisaster mitigation awards would have to be paid within 90 days. The bill would create a Long-Term Burned Area Rehabilitation account with up to $100 million per year for FY2027–FY2036 to pay for replanting, watershed work, invasive species control, habitat repair, and infrastructure fixes that must start after containment and finish within five years. Permanent BAER teams would be set up within 180 days and an emergency watershed sponsor program would let States, Tribes, and water districts get payments (no match) with final payment due within 30 days of project completion.
Better wildfire forecasts and data
If enacted, NOAA would create a Joint Office of the Fire Environment Center within one year to deliver real‑time analytics and smoke forecasting to local, State, Tribal, and Federal partners. The bill would expand the national emergency data system and create a public Wildfire Digital Data Center, with agencies providing research data in a reusable standard. It would fund state satellite monitoring grants and require annual forums to speed detection tech and data use. These tools aim to improve early detection, public health smoke alerts, and decision support for land managers and communities.
Easier utility vegetation permits
If enacted, the bill would let the Forest Service or BLM include authority in special use permits or easements for electrical utilities to cut and remove trees near distribution and transmission lines without a separate timber sale, if consistent with land plans and laws. If the utility sells removed material, the utility would give proceeds to the Secretary minus transport costs. The change is meant to make it easier for utilities to clear vegetation and reduce fire risk near power lines.
FEMA and fire payment reforms
If enacted, federal agencies must set standard rules for fire suppression cost-share payments and reimburse local fire departments when invoices meet settlement procedures. FEMA could allow grantees to reuse unused management-cost funds for capacity, recovery, and mitigation for up to five years after availability. FEMA must update wildfire recovery guidance within 1 year. The bill also requires a report within 2 years on radio frequency and interoperability gaps for wildfire response.
Wildfire science, maps, and tech funding
If enacted, the bill would fund and organize wildfire research, technology demos, and risk mapping. It would create a permanent Wildfire Science and Technology Advisory Board with $10 million authorized. It would fund dynamic wildfire risk maps ($15 million per year for FY2027–FY2036) and a DOE grid resilience demonstration program ($10 million per year for FY2027–FY2036). The bill also directs research on using drones for wildfire response and creates an invasive-species prize competition.
More prescribed fire and protections
If enacted, the Forest Service and Interior would be required to increase prescribed‑fire acreage by 10% each year for 10 years and could shift up to 15% of hazardous‑fuels funds to prescribed‑fire work. The bill would fund a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program for large landscape strategies (generally at least 50,000 acres), allow long cooperative agreements (up to 10 years), and set project priorities for cross‑boundary, WUI, Tribal, and high‑risk lands. It would treat covered non‑Federal cooperators as Federal employees for tort claims while supervised by a Federal employee and require guidance and annual reimbursement requests to Congress for claims. Agencies would also get EPA tools to support exceptional‑event smoke demonstrations; that helps use prescribed fire but could increase short‑term smoke in affected areas.
Rules for large restoration projects
If enacted, Federal agencies would run a 10‑year National Wildfire Plan and do a quadrennial strategic review to guide fuels reduction, restoration, habitat, and watershed work. For five years the Forest Service would select no more than 20 landscape‑scale restoration projects that generally must cover at least 100,000 acres (with some smaller exceptions), prohibit new permanent roads, and require decommissioning of temporary roads within three years. The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program would be modernized, monitoring would add pathogens, some numeric thresholds would change, a funding line would increase, and the Forest Service could not close research facilities without Appropriations Committee approval. The package prioritizes restoration but also tightens protections in roadless areas and adds reporting conditions for States.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2]
MN • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]
CO • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/20/2026
Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/20/2026
Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]
HI • D
Sponsored 8/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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