H.R. 2428 — Wildfire Homeowner Relief Act

This section directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the feasibility of using federal grant programs to purchase property from voluntary sellers before and after catastrophic wildfire disasters. The study must (1) compile recommendations for a national database on existing covered buyouts (i.e., federal purchases of properties in disaster-endangered or impacted areas), including grant programs used, maintenance entities, and post-buyout development, and for information-sharing between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development on ongoing buyouts; (2) analyze a potential new wildfire buyout program compared to existing programs (e.g., floodplain buyouts), recommend an administering department, agency, or program, and provide post-buyout land use recommendations to reduce wildfire risks (with flexibility for communities, distinctions by urban/rural and disadvantaged/high-income areas, and eligibility criteria based on high-risk mapping and evacuation benefits); and (3) define terms including _development_, _disadvantaged community_, _high-income community_, and _catastrophic wildfire_. Not later than 12 months after enactment, the Comptroller General must submit a report to Congress with study findings and recommendations, including ways to incentivize program participation and analysis of economic impacts and federal costs. The section defines a _covered buyout_ as a federal purchase of property from a homeowner voluntarily selling due to recognized endangerment or impact from a catastrophic natural disaster.