119-hr345

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 345 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 345

 To require the standardization of reciprocal fire suppression cost 
 share agreements, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 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.
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