Congressional Record — January 23, 2025

Overview of the day

The House of Representatives conducted proceedings focused on the consideration of legislation related to forest management and wildfire prevention. The primary activity involved general debate and the introduction of the text for the Fix Our Forests Act.

Summary of the House proceedings

H.R. 471 was introduced to expedite forest management activities on National Forest System lands, Bureau of Land Management public lands, and Tribal lands to improve resilience in fire-prone forested areas.
H.R. 471 is designed to create a framework for prioritizing treatments in high-risk areas using fireshed technology and expanding categorical exclusions up to 10,000 acres.
H.R. 471 includes provisions for a community wildfire risk reduction program, clearing hazardous trees from utility rights-of-way, and establishing a casualty assistance program for wildland firefighters.
H.R. 471 incorporates the Headwaters Protection Act to strengthen forestry and watershed management partnerships.
H.R. 471 includes the Wildfire Technology Demonstration, Evaluation, Modernization, and Optimization (DEMO) Act to create public-private partnerships for testing wildfire mitigation technologies.
H.R. 471 proposes to limit reconsultation under the Endangered Species Act following the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' Cottonwood decision.

Summary of Senate proceedings

There was no Senate activity on this date.