S. 133 — Fire Suppression and Response Funding Assurance Act

This section establishes a minimum federal share of 75% of eligible costs for fire management assistance to state and local governments for mitigating, managing, and controlling wildfires on public or private forest land or grassland that threaten major disaster-level destruction (previously unspecified in this section). The requirement applies only to amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act.

This section directs the President, acting through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, to complete a rulemaking not later than three years after enactment of this Act to establish criteria for circumstances under which the Administrator may recommend increasing the federal cost share for fire management assistance under section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187). (Section 420 authorizes presidential assistance, including grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel, to state and local governments to mitigate, manage, and control fires on public or private forest land or grassland that threaten destruction constituting a major disaster.)

This section directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the policy for Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) under section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187)—which reimburses state, local, tribal, and territorial governments for costs of managing wildfires that threaten to become major disasters—to make predeployment of domestic assets by states, local governments, and Tribal governments eligible for reimbursement, consistent with reimbursement policies for major disasters and emergencies under that Act. (Thus, governments may recover costs for positioning firefighting resources in advance of an FMAG approval.)