Sponsor
Ruben Gallego
Senator · D-AZ
Senator · D-AZ
The bill trades immediate funding and action on cross-boundary wildfire mitigation for a GAO study that could produce useful recommendations to improve coordination and agency capacity, but it delays direct relief and risks inaction while imposing modest administrative costs.
State, local, and Tribal governments (and federal land managers) could get clearer, actionable recommendations to simplify cross-boundary wildfire mitigation and improve coordination and access to funding.
Federal agencies (USFS, NRCS, FEMA, US Fire Administration) could have identified reforms to increase capacity or access to funding, enabling more or larger mitigation projects that reduce wildfire risk to communities.
Congress and taxpayers will receive a GAO report within two years with evidence-based findings and recommendations, improving legislative oversight and enabling more targeted future policy or funding decisions.
Rural communities, local governments, and Tribal lands face delayed concrete action on wildfire risk because the bill mandates only a study and report rather than immediate policy changes or funding.
If Congress does not act on the GAO's recommendations, identified barriers to cross-boundary mitigation may remain unaddressed despite the report, leaving risks and coordination problems unresolved.
Producing the study will incur administrative costs and staff time at GAO and participating agencies, creating modest expenses without delivering direct funding for mitigation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires a GAO study on federal programs and authorities that enable or inhibit cross‑boundary wildfire mitigation and a report with recommendations within two years.
Official title: Direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land.
Introduced June 11, 2025 by Ruben Gallego · Last progress June 15, 2026
Directs the Government Accountability Office (Comptroller General) to study federal programs, rules, and authorities that help or hinder cross‑boundary wildfire mitigation on Federal and non‑Federal lands. The study must evaluate whether changing those programs would increase capacity or access to mitigation funding for federal land management agencies, USDA (through NRCS), FEMA, the U.S. Fire Administration, states, local governments, and Tribes, and must assess activities carried out under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act provision at 16 U.S.C. § 6513(e). A report with findings and recommendations must be delivered to designated House and Senate committees within two years of enactment.