To establish and carry out a Federal Wildfire Relief Fund.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 19, 2024
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
The Federal Wildfire Relief Act of 2024 creates a new fund administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to compensate property owners, insurance companies, and electric utilities for damages caused by catastrophic wildfires. A wildfire qualifies for relief under the fund if it damages or destroys more than 500 structures or causes more than $50 million in damages, and the President must declare it a catastrophic wildfire. Property owners can receive up to 25 percent of their uninsured losses (capped at 50 percent of insured losses up to $1 million), while insurers and electric utilities can recover up to 10 percent of their losses, but only if the utility was complying with state or federal wildfire mitigation plans. To participate in the fund, structure owners and insurers must waive claims against the utility responsible for the fire, and claims must be processed within 180 days of submission. The bill does not specify total funding amounts or appropriations, and it excludes compensation for personal injuries or wrongful deaths.
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