Bill · S. 3609· Senate(119-S-3609)
Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act
- Introduced
- 1/8/2026
- Last activity
- 1/8/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Sponsored by
- Alex Padilla
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill establishes the Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Grant Program. The program provides grants to eligible entities to carry out wildfire resilience projects or to develop comprehensive community protection plans. It authorizes up to $1,000,000,000 annually from 2025 through 2029. The initiative aims to improve early detection, evacuation planning, and the hardening of critical infrastructure and homes. Additionally, the bill mandates various reports and studies regarding government programs, insurance incentives, and radio communication interoperability. It also updates the definition of at-risk communities and amends existing grant programs to include structure hardening.
Yes· 3 of 12
Would Native Americans be better off under this?+5
The bill includes Indian Tribes as eligible entities and emphasizes protecting Tribal at-risk communities.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+5
The bill targets at-risk communities often found in rural areas through forest management and infrastructure hardening.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+5
The bill funds wildfire resilience, early detection, and defensible space projects to protect communities and environments.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Community Safety and Resilience: The bill funds projects involving early detection technology, evacuation planning, and the protection of vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, and individuals with disabilities (Section 2, Definition 3).
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Infrastructure Protection: Grant funds can be used to harden and increase the resiliency of critical infrastructure and homes against wildfire threats (Section 2, Definition 4; Section 2, Definition 3).
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Economic Support for Local Workers: Grant recipients are encouraged to give preference to contracting with and hiring individuals and entities from the local area where the project is happening (Section 3, subsection (e)).
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Insurance Incentives: The bill directs a study to find ways for the Federal Government to incentivize insurance companies to accept certifications of wildfire survivability and resilience (Section 5).
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Improved Emergency Communication: The bill requires a report to identify barriers to radio frequency interoperability, which could lead to better communication during fire suppression efforts (Section 7).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Burden on Local Entities: For many projects, the non-Federal share of the cost must be at least 25 percent of the total project cost (Section 3, subsection (f)).
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Requirement for Local Matching Funds: While the Administrator may waive or reduce this, the bill establishes a requirement for a non-Federal share of the cost for project implementation (Section 3, subsection (f)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Native Americans+5Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Children+4Good For People With Disabilities+4Good For Seniors+4Good For Low Income Households+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+5Improves Roads And Bridges+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+3Improves Small Business Support+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing+2
- 1/8/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Tim SheehyRepublican · Montana