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Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025
To require the standardization of reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would require federal agencies to establish standardized procedures for reimbursing local fire departments for wildfire suppression work under existing cost-share agreements. The procedures must standardize payment timelines and ensure fire suppression agreements align with other applicable cooperative fire protection agreements. Federal agencies must reimburse local fire departments when they submit compliant invoices, with Congress expressing that reimbursements should occur within one year of the fire suppression work.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA)
9 cosponsors
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA)
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA)
- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC)
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA)
- Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40] (R-CA)
- Rep. LaMalfa, Doug [R-CA-1] (R-CA)
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA)
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA)
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Josh Harder’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- GOOGLE $34,620
- BESSEMER VENTURE PARTNERS $28,100
- STANFORD UNIVERSITY $25,550
- BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP $19,800
- COOLEY LLP $16,200
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Josh Harder → · Outside spending →
Actions (5)
- Jul 23, 2025 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent. · house
- Jul 23, 2025 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Feb 14, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture. · house
- Jan 13, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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. · house
- Jan 13, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2025
Mr. Harder of California (for himself and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 require the standardization of reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements, 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 “Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO CERTAIN FIRE SUPPRESSION COST SHARE AGREEMENTS.
(a) Establishment of Standard Operating Procedures.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretaries shall—
(1) establish standard operating procedures relating to payment timelines for fire suppression cost share agreements established under the Act of May 27, 1955 (42 U.S.C. 1856a) (commonly known as the “Reciprocal Fire Protection Act”); and
(2) with respect to each fire suppression cost share agreement in operation on such date—
(A) review each such agreement; and
(B) modify each agreement as necessary to comply with the standard operating procedures required under paragraph (1).
(b) Alignment of Fire Suppression Cost Share Agreements With Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements.—The standard operating procedures required under subsection (a)(1) shall include a requirement that 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.
(c) Payments Pursuant to Cost Share Agreements.—With respect to payments made pursuant to fire suppression cost share agreements, the standard operating procedures required under subsection (a)(1) shall require that the Federal paying entity reimburse a local fire department if such fire department submits an invoice in accordance with cost settlement procedures.
(d) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the Secretaries should carry out reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreement repayments to local fire suppression organizations as soon as practicable after fire suppression occurs but not later than 1 year after fire suppression occurs.
(e) Secretaries Defined.—In this section, the term “Secretaries” means—
(1) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(2) the Secretary of the Interior;
(3) the Secretary of Homeland Security; and
(4) the Secretary of Defense. <all>
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