Skip to main content
HR 5541 110th Congress House Public Lands and Natural Resources Building laws Building materials Congress Congressional reporting requirements Economics and Public Finance Electric power transmission Emergency Management Employee training Energy Fire fighters Fire prevention Forest fires Government Operations and Politics Government trust funds Governmental investigations Grants-in-aid Housing and Community Development Labor and Employment Maps

FLAME Act

Introduced: March 6, 2008 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 19 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 10, 2008
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Jul 9, 2008
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jul 9, 2008
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6285-6286)
Jul 9, 2008
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6285-6286)
Jul 9, 2008
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5541.
Jul 9, 2008
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6285-6291)
Jul 9, 2008
Mr. Rahall moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Jun 27, 2008
House Committee on The Budget Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than July 11, 2008.
Jun 27, 2008
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than July 11, 2008.
Jun 10, 2008
House Committee on The Budget Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than June 27, 2008.
Jun 10, 2008
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than June 27, 2008.
Jun 10, 2008
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 110-704, Part I.
Apr 25, 2008
Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
Apr 17, 2008
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Apr 17, 2008
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Apr 10, 2008
Committee Hearings Held.
Mar 6, 2008
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 6, 2008
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E331-332)
Mar 6, 2008
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act or FLAME Act - (Sec. 2) Establishes in the Treasury the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Fund (the Flame Fund).

Requires amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) to pay the costs of catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities that are separate from amounts annually appropriated for the predicted annual workload for such activities.

Authorizes appropriations for the Flame Fund. States the intent of Congress with respect to the expenditure of amounts appropriated to the Fund. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the designation of certain appropriations as amounts necessary to meet emergency needs.

Instructs the Secretaries to notify specified congressional committees whenever only an estimated two months worth of funding remains in the Fund.

Provides for the transfer of unobligated wildland fire suppression funds into the Flame Fund.

Provides for amounts in the Flame Fund to be made available to the Secretaries only after such Secretaries issue a declaration that a wildland fire suppression activity is eligible for funding through the Fund. Sets forth the criteria upon which such a declaration shall be based.

Provides for the continuation of funding for anticipated and predicted wildland fire suppression activities within appropriate agency budgets. States that use of the additional funding made available through the Flame Fund is intended to supplement the budgeted and appropriated agency funding and is to be used only for purposes and in instances consistent with this section.

Provides that, all amounts in the Flame Fund and all funds appropriated for wildland fire suppression on federal land, must be obligated before the transfer of funds from non-fire accounts for wildland fire suppression.

Directs the Secretaries to establish an accounting and reporting system for the Flame Fund compatible with existing National Fire Plan reporting procedures.

Requires the Secretaries to annually report on the use of the funds from the Flame Fund, together with recommendations that the Secretaries may have to improve administrative control and oversight of the Fund. Requires such report to be made available to the public.

(Sec. 3) Requires the Secretaries to submit a report that contains a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, consistent with the recommendations of the Comptroller General.

Sets forth the elements of the strategy. Includes a system for ensuring that the highest priority fuels reduction projects are being funded first.

Ensures that owners of adjacent private land are notified before any prescribed fire is used on National Forest System land.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretaries to conduct a review, using independent panels, of each wild fire incident that incurs expenses exceeding $10 million, and to submit a report containing the results of each review conducted.

(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretaries to develop regional maps of communities most at risk of wildfire and in need of hazardous fuel treatment and maintenance.

Requires such maps to identify priority areas for hazardous fuels reduction projects, including: (1) at-risk communities in fire-prone areas of the wildland-urban interface; (2) watersheds and municipal drinking water sources; (3) emergency evacuation corridors; (4) electricity transmission corridors; and (5) low-capacity or low-income communities.

Authorizes the Secretaries to provide cost-share grants to fire-ready communities which may be used for: (1) education programs to raise awareness of homeowners and citizens about wildland fire protection practices, including FireWise or other similar programs; (2) training programs for local firefighters on wildland firefighting techniques and approaches; (3) equipment acquisition to facilitate wildland fire preparedness; and (4) implementation of a community wildfire protection plan.

Instructs the Secretaries, in developing any wildland fire cost-share agreement with a state forester or equivalent official, to encourage the state and local communities involved to become fire-ready communities.

Authorizes appropriations to carry out this section.

What's happening now July 10, 2008

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

 Committees of jurisdiction 5