Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal Legislation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Congressional staff brief Chaffee County on wildfire, disaster and beetle bills; offices to visit county
Summary
Federal staff briefed the board on farm bill priorities, EPA wildfire air‑monitoring proposals, FEMA reform and six recently introduced wildfire/disaster bills (including research coordination, guaranteed disaster assistance and pine‑beetle response measures); the congresswoman's staff will visit Chaffee County for further engagement.
Federal staff updated the board on multiple pieces of legislation and federal engagement relevant to wildfire response and rural communities.
Delaney (senior Senate staff) said the Senate agriculture committee is focused on disposition and nutrition provisions in the Farm Bill and noted bipartisan congressional interest in EPA grants to expand air pollution monitoring after wildfires. Staff emphasized the need for community access to monitoring data and long‑term health information following events such as the Willow Fire.
A congressional staffer listed six bills introduced last week in response to wildfires, including the Wild Fire Research Coordination Act, a firefighter health coverage/protection bill and two measures focused on mountain pine beetle response and coordination. The office also introduced a Guaranteed Disaster Assistance Act to provide more predictable Hazard Mitigation Grant Program distributions and a HUD disaster information improvements bill to strengthen coordination among HUD, FEMA and SBA for families and business owners after disasters. Staff said they will be in Chaffee County to collect local input during on‑the‑ground visits.
