H.R. 8790 – Fix Our Forests Act
H.R. 8790 - Fix Our Forests Act
Hearing Information
Amendment Deadline
Thursday, September 19, 2024 - 12:00pm View Announcement »
Meeting Announcement
Monday, September 23, 2024 - 4:00pm H-313, The Capitol View Announcement »
Video
Rules Committee Hearing for H.R. 9747, 3334, 8205, 8790, and H.Res. 1469
Bill Text
(as reported)
H. Rept. 118-674, Part I PDF
Report from the Committee on Natural Resources to accompany H.R. 8790
Hearing Documents
Rule PDF
H. Rept. 118-705 PDF
Amendment to H. Rept. 118-705 PDF
(adopted by unanimous consent by the House on September 24, 2024)
Rule Information
COMMITTEE ACTION:
REPORTED BY A RECORD VOTE of 9-4 on Monday, September 23, 2024.
FLOOR ACTION ON H. RES. 1486:
Agreed to by a record vote of 212-207, after agreeing to the previous question by a record vote of 208-204, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
MANAGERS: Burgess/McGovern
1. Structured rule for H.R. 3334.
2. Waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.
3. Provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs or their respective designees.
4. Provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Foreign Affairs now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in part A of the Rules Committee report, shall be considered as adopted, and the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read.
5. Waives all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended.
6. Makes in order only the amendments printed in part B of the Rules Committee report. Each amendment shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
7. Waives all points of order against the amendments printed in part B of the Rules Committee report.
8. Provides one motion to recommit.
9. Closed rule for H.R. 8205.
10. Waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.
11. Provides that, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-51 shall be considered as adopted and the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read.
12. Waives all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended.
13. Provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees.
14. Provides one motion to recommit.
15. Structured rule for H.R. 8790.
16. Waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.
17. Provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources or their respective designees.
18. Provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in part C of the Rules Committee report, shall be considered as adopted, and the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read.
19. Waives all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended.
20. Makes in order only the amendments printed in part D of the Rules Committee report. Each amendment shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
21. Waives all points of order against the amendments printed in part D of the report.
22. Provides one motion to recommit.
23. Closed rule for H. Res. 1469.
24. Provides that upon adoption of the resolution it shall be in order without intervention of any point of order to consider H. Res. 1469.
25. Provides that the resolution shall be considered as read.
26. Provides one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs or their respective designees.
27. Provides that Section 3(j) of House Resolution 5 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this subsection, ‘non-governmental capacity’ shall mean any capacity except representing the executive branch of the United States government.”.
Amendments (click each header to sort table ▲▼ by that column)
| # | Version # | Sponsor(s) | Party | Summary | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Version 1 | Landsman (OH) | Democrat | Adds at the end of the bill the text of H.R.5014 - Employing Veterans to Feed America Act. | Submitted |
| 2 | Version 1 | Porter (CA), Levin (CA) | Democrat | Strikes subtitle C of title I, entitled “Litigation Reform". | Submitted |
| 3 | Version 1 | Leger Fernández (NM), Levin (CA), Stansbury (NM) | Democrat | Inserts authorizations for appropriations including: Title I - Fireshed center, registry, assessment, and emergency management. Title II - Community Wildfire risk reduction program, defense research program, and seeds of success. Title III - Biochar innovations and opportunities for conservation, health, and advancements in research, and public-private wildfire technology deployment and testbed partnership. | Submitted |
| 4 | Version 1 | Lee (NV), Valadao (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Provides a permanent pay fix for federal wildland firefighters. | Submitted |
| 5 | Version 1 | Kamlager-Dove (CA), Stansbury (NM) | Democrat | Includes findings to address the biodiversity and climate crisis and how they have exacerbated the wildfire crisis. | Submitted |
| 6 | Version 1 | Molinaro (NY), Harder (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Adds consideration of a strategy for reducing the threat of wildfires to wildland firefighters to the fireshed assessment. | Made in Order |
| 7 | Version 1 | LaMalfa (CA), Vasquez (NM) | Bi-Partisan | Directs the United States Forest Service to expand the use of proactive, targeted animal grazing in fuels management programs to reduce wildfire risk. | Made in Order |
| 8 | Version 1 | LaMalfa (CA) | Republican | Withdrawn Exempts wildfire mitigation activities conducted within 300 feet of a road from all laws governing environmental review of proposed agency actions or protection of endangered or threatened species. Identical to H.R.939 - CARR Act (117th Congress). | Withdrawn |
| 9 | Version 1 | Scott, David (GA) | Democrat | Withdrawn Requires a study on the impact of the Urban and Community Forestry Program on urban areas. | Withdrawn |
| 10 | Version 2 | Lucas (OK) | Republican | MANAGER’S AMENDMENT Revised Makes technical changes to ensure collaboration and coordination with the fire weather prediction and modeling activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and subject certain funds to the availability of appropriations. | Considered as Adopted |
| 11 | Version 1 | Dingell (MI), Grijalva (AZ), Beyer (VA), Stansbury (NM) | Democrat | Strikes Anti-ESA riders from the bill. | Submitted |
| 12 | Version 1 | Valadao (CA), Costa (CA), Issa (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Requires the U.S. Forest Service to conduct an evaluation of the container aerial firefighting system (CAFFS) to assess the use of such a system to mitigate and suppress wildfires. | Made in Order |
| 13 | Version 2 | Garamendi (CA), Fallon (TX) | Bi-Partisan | Revised Clarifies that special districts are eligible to participate in the wildfire-related programs authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. Clarifies that special districts are eligible to participate in the biochar research and development program established in Sec.301 of H.R.8790. Expands the Good Neighbor Authority to special districts. | Made in Order |
| 14 | Version 2 | Gluesenkamp Perez (WA) | Democrat | Revised Modernizes and strengthens the United States Forest Service (USFS)’s Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant Program (CWEWIP). | Revised |
| 15 | Version 1 | Gluesenkamp Perez (WA) | Democrat | Authorizes permanently the Special Forest Products program at the Forest Service. Identical to H.R. 5335, the Special Forest Products Program Reauthorization Act. | Submitted |
| 16 | Version 1 | Obernolte (CA), Pettersen (CO) | Bi-Partisan | Adds thermal mid-wave infrared equipped low earth orbit satellites as a prioritized emerging technology for agencies to implement through public-private partnerships for wildfire mitigation and detection. | Made in Order |
| 17 | Version 1 | Harder (CA) | Democrat | Authorizes a Department of Interior Casualty Assistance Program to provide assistance to firefighters and the families of firefighters who were critically injured, ill, or killed in the line-of-duty. | Made in Order |
| 18 | Version 2 | Barr (KY), McGarvey (KY) | Bi-Partisan | Revised Directs the the US Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to address reforestation and regeneration issues specific to the White Oak species through the White Oak Initiative and pilot projects. | Made in Order |
| 19 | Version 3 | Pettersen (CO), Obernolte (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Revised Allows states to purchase and integrate wildfire satellite monitoring technology for early detection, monitoring active fire behavior, burn intensity, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of prescribed fire treatments, and guiding post-disaster recovery through public-private partnerships. | Revised |
| 20 | Version 1 | Harder (CA) | Democrat | Extends the Break in Service for Wildland Firefighter Special Retirement from 3 days to 2 years. | Submitted |
| 21 | Version 2 | Peters (CA), Harder (CA) | Democrat | Revised Fleshes out further the purpose and structure of the Fireshed Center, to encourage interagency and state-tribal-federal collaboration, data sharing, and communication, among other priorities. | Revised |
| 22 | Version 4 | Pettersen (CO) | Democrat | Revised Expands nursery and seed capacity work to support reforestation and restoration by state, Tribal, and local governments and institutions of higher education. | Made in Order |
| 23 | Version 2 | Pettersen (CO), Mullin (CA) | Democrat | Revised Establishes an Interagency Coordinating Committee to guide the work of the Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program to advise and provide recommendations on how to improve the work of the Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program and to strengthen risk reduction strategies in the built environment. | Revised |
| 24 | Version 1 | Johnson (SD) | Republican | Withdrawn Inserts H.R. 8230 to streamline permitting for broadband projects on National Forest System lands. | Withdrawn |
| 25 | Version 1 | Levin (CA) | Democrat | Clarifies that certain review procedures for the established categorical exclusions shall apply. | Submitted |
| 26 | Version 2 | Mullin (CA) | Democrat | Revised Adds artificial intelligence and other decision support tools for use by the Fireshed Center. | Made in Order |
| 27 | Version 1 | Costa (CA), Valadao (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Late Expands public and private forestry and watershed management partnerships by reducing redundancy for existing water source management plans and increasing the number of eligible entities. | Made in Order |
| 28 | Version 1 | Stansbury (NM) | Democrat | Late Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Chief of the Forest Service, to revise performance metrics of the Forest System using best available science, landscape resiliency, biodiversity, ecosystem services, watershed conditions, restoration and fuels reduction, as well as other metrics the Secretary deems appropriate. Authorizes funds to carry out this section. | Submitted |
| 29 | Version 2 | Schrier (WA), Valadao (CA), Panetta (CA) | Bi-Partisan | Late Revised Increases the utilization of responsible wildfire and smoke mitigation strategies, tools, and technologies; and requires the development of regional prescribed fire operational strategies. | Revised |
| 30 | Version 2 | Zinke (MT) | Republican | Late Revised Allows GNA revenue to be used for reconstruction, repair, and restoration of non-NFS roads necessary to implement GNA projects on federal lands, allows GNA cooperators to construct new permanent roads on federal lands that is necessary to implement authorized restoration activities and approved by the federal agency through an Environmental Analysis or Categorical Exclusion decision, and allows GNA cooperators to complete new permanent road construction to replace and decommission existing permanent road(s) that are adversely impacting forest, rangeland, or watershed health. | Made in Order |
| 31 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Withdrawn Clarifies that a Wilderness Area or Wilderness Study Area designation does not interfere with the Secretary's authority to authorize active forest management. | Withdrawn |
| 32 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Clarifies existing authorities may be utilized to prevent wildfires in Fire Regimes IV and V which are located in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maine, West Virginia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa, Florida, and Texas. | Made in Order |
| 33 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Withdrawn Authorizes the Secretary to expedite timber removal in response to catastrophic wildfires. | Withdrawn |
| 34 | Version 1 | Huffman (CA), Tlaib (MI) | Democrat | Late Provides an amendment in the nature of a substitute, which strikes problematic sections that limit opportunities for public engagement and waive bedrock environmental laws like NEPA and the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, the ANS makes edits throughout the bill to ensure that the best available science is used in decision making, existing agency and non-agency planning efforts are accounted for, Tribal data sovereignty is protected, and financial resources are available for community preparedness. | Submitted |
| 35 | Version 1 | Huffman (CA) | Democrat | Late Inserts the Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act, authorizing $1 billion annually to establish guidelines for Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Plans (CPWRP) to enhance community safety through home hardening, defensible space, strategic land use planning, and increasing the resiliency of critical infrastructure. Also, provides grants for plan development and implementation, prioritizing vulnerable communities, and requires updates to wildfire hazard maps and assessments of emergency communication barriers. | Submitted |
| 36 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Ensures grazing is one of the hazardous fuels reduction activities authorized by the bill. | Made in Order |
| 37 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Requires regional foresters to submit a plan through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program for the treatment and removal of trees killed by or infested with bark beetles in Western states. | Made in Order |
| 38 | Version 1 | Boebert (CO) | Republican | Late Requires regional foresters to submit a plan for the sale of Christmas trees and firewood on federal lands. | Made in Order |
| 39 | Version 1 | Luttrell (TX) | Republican | Late This amendment would require the Forestry Service to maintain roads that are partially shared by both the service and private land owners. | Submitted |
| 40 | Version 2 | LaLota (NY) | Republican | Late Revised Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a study on the impacts pine beetles have in the Northeastern region of the United States. | Made in Order |
Committee Votes
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 271
Motion by Mr. McGovern to amend the language in the rule related to defining the governmental capacity of witnesses to remove that restriction entirely and remove the requirement for the Majority Leader to approve the remote participation of witnesses. Defeated: 4–9
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 272
Motion by Ms. Scanlon to amend the rule to make in order amendment #11 to H.R. 8790, offered by Representative Dingell, which strikes anti-ESA riders from the bill. Defeated: 4–9
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 273
Motion by Ms. Leger Fernández to amend the rule to make in order amendment #3 to H.R. 8790, offered Representative Leger Fernández, which inserts authorizations for appropriations including: Title I - Fireshed center, registry, assessment, and emergency management. Title II - Community Wildfire risk reduction program, defense research program, and seeds of success. Title III - Biochar innovations and opportunities for conservation, health, and advancements in research, and public-private wildfire technology deployment and testbed partnership. Defeated: 4–9
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 274
Motion by Mr. Reschenthaler to report the rule. Adopted: 9–4