S. 443 — Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act

This section amends the fire management assistance program under Section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (i.e., Fire Management Assistance Grants, or FMAGs, which provide federal grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel to mitigate, manage, and control wildfires on forest land or grassland threatening major disaster-level destruction) to (1) include Indian tribal governments as eligible recipients alongside states and local governments; (2) authorize the chief executive of an affected Indian tribal government, like a state governor, to directly request assistance; and (3) clarify via a savings provision that tribes remain eligible for assistance through a state request if their direct request is denied. The section further directs the President to issue regulations within one year of enactment to update 44 CFR part 204 by authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to directly receive and process tribal requests for FMAGs, clarifying continued eligibility via state requests if denied, considering tribes' unique conditions, and following government-to-government consultation with tribes.