Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3992 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3992

To provide for wildfire suppression operations, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 5, 2014

  Mr. Simpson (for himself and Mr. Schrader) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in 
addition to the Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources, 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

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                                 A BILL


 
To provide for wildfire suppression operations, 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 Disaster Funding Act of 
2014''.

SEC. 2. WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING AUTHORITY.

    (a) Adjustments to Discretionary Spending Limits.--Section 
251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
                    ``(E) Flame wildfire suppression.--(i) If a bill or 
                joint resolution making appropriations for a fiscal 
                year is enacted that specifies an amount for wildfire 
                suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management 
                accounts at the Department of Agriculture or the 
                Department of the Interior, then the adjustments for 
                that fiscal year shall be the amount of additional new 
                budget authority provided in that Act for wildfire 
                suppression operations for that fiscal year, but shall 
                not exceed $2,689,000,000 in additional new budget 
                authority in each of fiscal years 2014 through 2021.
                    ``(ii) As used in this subparagraph--
                            ``(I) the term `additional new budget 
                        authority' means the amount provided for a 
                        fiscal year, in excess of 70 percent of the 
                        average costs for wildfire suppression 
                        operations over the previous 10 years, in an 
                        appropriation Act and specified to pay for the 
                        costs of wildfire suppression operations; and
                            ``(II) the term `wildfire suppression 
                        operations' means the emergency and 
                        unpredictable aspects of wildland firefighting 
                        including support, response, and emergency 
                        stabilization activities; other emergency 
                        management activities; and funds necessary to 
                        repay any transfers needed for these costs.
                    ``(iii) The average costs for wildfire suppression 
                operations over the previous 10 years shall be 
                calculated annually and reported in the President's 
                Budget submission under section 1105(a) of title 31, 
                United States Code, for each fiscal year.''.
    (b) Disaster Funding.--Section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget 
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)) is 
amended--
            (1) in clause (i)--
                    (A) in subclause (I), by striking ``and'' and 
                inserting ``plus'';
                    (B) in subclause (II), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; less''; and
                    (C) by adding the following:
                                    ``(III) the additional new budget 
                                authority provided in an appropriation 
                                Act for wildfire suppression operations 
                                pursuant to subparagraph (E) for the 
                                preceding fiscal year.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) Beginning in fiscal year 2016 and in 
                        subsequent fiscal years, the calculation of the 
                        `average funding provided for disaster relief 
                        over the previous 10 years' under clause (i)(I) 
                        shall include any additional new budget 
                        authority provided in an appropriation Act for 
                        wildfire suppression operations pursuant to 
                        subparagraph (E).''.

SEC. 3. PROMPT REQUESTS FOR SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT 
              OF THE INTERIOR AND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WILDFIRE 
              SUPPRESSION OPERATIONS.

    If the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture 
determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for a fiscal 
year for wildfire suppression operations (as defined in section 
251(b)(2)(E) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 
of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(E))), such Secretary shall promptly submit 
to Congress--
            (1) a request for such supplemental appropriations; and
            (2) a plan detailing the manner in which such Secretary 
        intends to obligate the supplemental appropriations within 30 
        days after the date on which such supplemental appropriations 
        are made available.
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