Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025

This bill makes it easier and faster for local fire departments to get paid back when they help fight wildfires with federal partners. It tells four federal departments to create one clear set of rules for how and when payments are made under “cost share” agreements, which are deals to split firefighting costs across federal, state, and local lines. The rules must match up with any existing cooperative fire protection agreements, so everyone’s paperwork lines up.

Under these rules, the federal side must reimburse a local fire department once it submits an invoice following the agreed steps. Congress also states that repayments should happen as soon as possible and no later than one year after the fire is put out. The departments have up to one year after the bill becomes law to set these standard procedures. The departments involved are Agriculture, Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense.

• Who is affected: Local fire departments and the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense.
• What changes: One clear set of payment rules; agreements must align; federal agencies must reimburse local departments when they invoice correctly; goal to repay within one year after a fire.
• When: New standard procedures must be set within one year after the law takes effect; repayments are expected as soon as possible, but no later than one year after suppression.