H.R. 4295

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4295 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4295

To provide mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on 
certain Federal land, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 7, 2025

Ms. Hoyle of Oregon introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee 
on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on 
certain Federal land, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Wildfire Resilient Communities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS ON CERTAIN 
FEDERAL LAND.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agency head.--The term ``agency head'' means--
(A) the Director of the National Park Service;
(B) the Chief of the Forest Service;
(C) the Director of the Bureau of Land Management;
(D) the Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service; and
(E) the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(2) At-risk community; fire regime i; fire regime ii; fire 
regime iii.--The terms ``at-risk community'', ``fire regime 
I'', ``fire regime II'', and ``fire regime III'' have the 
meanings given those terms in section 101 of the Healthy 
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).
(3) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means Federal 
land under the jurisdiction of the applicable agency head.
(4) Hazardous fuels reduction project.--The term 
``hazardous fuels reduction project'' means the removal or 
modification of flammable vegetation or woody debris through 
prescribed fire, thinning, brush removal, mastication, pruning, 
slash treatment, or a combination of those methods, on the 
condition that the method is ecologically appropriate, cost-
effective, and selected on a site-specific basis.
(b) Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects.--
(1) In general.--The agency heads shall carry out hazardous 
fuels reduction projects on covered land.
(2) Project priorities.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
agency heads shall prioritize hazardous fuels reduction 
projects that are--
(A) conducted in areas that--
(i) are within or adjacent to--
(I) at-risk communities; or
(II) high-value watersheds;
(ii) have very high wildfire hazard 
potential; or
(iii) are in fire regime I, fire regime II, 
or fire regime III; or
(B) designed to integrate and simultaneously 
advance 2 or more of the goals established in the 
report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Secretary of the Interior entitled ``The National 
Strategy: the Final Phase of the Development of the 
National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy'' 
and dated April 2014 and the update entitled ``National 
Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum 
Update'' and dated January 2023--
(i) to create fire-adapted communities;
(ii) to restore and maintain resilient 
landscapes; and
(iii) to achieve safe, effective fire 
response.
(c) Funding.--
(1) In general.--On the first October 1 following the date 
of enactment of this Act, out of any funds in the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
transfer to the agency heads, in accordance with an allocation 
formula established by the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
consultation with the agency heads, $30,000,000,000, to remain 
available until expended.
(2) Receipt and acceptance.--The agency heads shall be 
entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out 
this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without 
further appropriation.
(3) Administrative and planning costs.--Not more than 10 
percent of funding made available under paragraph (1) may be 
used for administrative and planning costs.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANT 
PROGRAM.

In addition to amounts made available to the Secretary of 
Agriculture under section 40803(c)(12) of the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(12)), there is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out section 
40803(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 
6592(f)) $3,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through 
2031.

SEC. 4. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PROGRAM 
REAUTHORIZATION.

Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 
U.S.C. 7303) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(3)--
(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``species;'' 
and inserting ``species or pathogens;'';
(B) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``and'' at the 
end;
(C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ``and'' after 
the semicolon at the end; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(I) address standardized monitoring questions and 
indicators;'';
(2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)--
(A) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) in clause (ii), by adding ``and'' at the end; 
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) include a Federal Government 
staffing plan for providing support to 
collaborative processes established pursuant to 
subsection (b)(2);'';
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
``and'' at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) whether the proposal seeks to use innovative 
implementation mechanisms, including conservation 
finance agreements, good neighbor agreements entered 
into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 
(16 U.S.C. 2113a), and similar implementation 
mechanisms;
``(H) whether the proposal seeks to reduce the risk 
of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecological 
restoration activities--
``(i) within areas across land ownerships, 
including State, Tribal, and private land; and
``(ii) within the wildland-urban interface; 
and
``(I) whether the proposal seeks to enhance 
watershed health and drinking water sources.''; and
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``10'' 
and inserting ``20''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``2'' 
and inserting ``4'';
(4) in subsection (e)(3), by inserting ``conflict 
resolution or collaborative governance,'' before ``and woody''; 
and
(5) in subsection (f)(6), by striking ``$80,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023'' and inserting 
``$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year 
thereafter''.

SEC. 5. COUNTY STEWARDSHIP FUND.

Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 
U.S.C. 6591c) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (k); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (i) the following:
``(j) County Stewardship Fund.--
``(1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury of 
the United States a fund to be known as the `County Stewardship 
Fund' (referred to in this section as the `Fund'), to be 
administered by the Secretary.
``(2) Deposits.--Each fiscal year, with respect to each 
contract under subsection (b), there shall be deposited in the 
Fund an amount equal to the greater of--
``(A) 25 percent of the appraised value of the 
forest products sold under the applicable contract, to 
be transferred from the general fund of the Treasury; 
and
``(B) 25 percent of the excess receipts from the 
applicable contract, as authorized under subsection 
(g)(2).
``(3) Availability.--Amounts in the Fund shall--
``(A) be used only for purposes described in 
paragraph (4); and
``(B) remain available until expended.
``(4) Purposes.--
``(A) In general.--Each fiscal year, the Chief or 
the Director, as applicable, shall distribute from 
amounts in the Fund to each county in which a contract 
under subsection (b) was carried out on Federal land in 
the county during the preceding fiscal year a payment 
of an amount equal to 25 percent of the receipts 
generated from that contract.
``(B) Use of funds.--A county receiving a payment 
under subparagraph (A) may use the payment for any 
governmental purposes.''.
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