H.R. 345 · In committee · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025

Sponsor: Josh Harder (D-CA)

What it does

• Requires standard operating procedures for reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements among federal, state, and local governments for wildfires crossing jurisdictions.
• Directs the Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense to set payment timeline procedures for agreements under the Reciprocal Fire Protection Act.
• Requires the departments to review every active agreement within a year of enactment and modify agreements as needed to comply.
• Requires each agreement to align with applicable cooperative fire protection agreements and requires the federal paying entity to reimburse a local fire department that invoices under cost settlement procedures.

Official summary

Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025 This bill requires standard operating procedures for reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements, which are agreements between federal, state, and local governments to share the costs of suppressing wildfires that occur across multiple jurisdictions. The Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense must establish standard operating procedures relating to payment timelines for fire suppression cost share agreements established under the Reciprocal Fire Protection Act. The departments must also review each agreement that is in operation within a year of this bill's enactment and modify an agreement as necessary to comply with the standard operating procedures. The standard operating procedures must require that (1) each fire suppression cost share agreement be aligned with each of the cooperative fire protection agreements applicable to the entity subject to such fire suppression cost share agreement, and (2) the federal paying entity reimburse a local fire department if the fire department submits an invoice in accordance with cost settlement procedures.

Latest action

Jul 23, 2025: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Committee: House Natural Resources