The failure of the previous Congress to pass a bill addressing the need to reorganize wildfire funding meant that supporters would have to reintroduce the measure this Congress; and it did not take long. On Tuesday, January 6, 2015, one day into the new Congress, Representative Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) reintroduced his bill to move a portion of appropriated wildfire suppression funds into an emergency account, mimicking the funding mechanisms for other natural disasters. “The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015” (H.R. 167), has nine California House Members as cosponsors. Last year’s version of the bill had more than half of the California Congressional delegation signed on to the bill as a cosponsor. The same level of support is expected from the California delegation moving forward.
