S. 4431: Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2020-08-04 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 116-380.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-08-04 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 116-380. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020

Plain summary

Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020 This bill addresses wildfire preparedness and response. Among other things, the bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to select three forest landscapes on which to conduct projects to reduce the risk of wildfire, restore ecological health, or adapt to the increased risk of wildfire due to climate change. USDA and the Department of the Interior shall expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment in areas at risk of wildfire, expedite related permitting, expand the use of satellite data to assist wildfire response, and establish a center to train individuals in methods to mitigate wildfire risk. The bill excludes certain forest management activities from environmental review requirements. Interior may make a determination that an emergency situation exists regarding National Forest System land and authorize specified emergency actions. Such a determination and such actions are not subject to administrative review. Interior shall provide grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support biomass conversion facilities. The bill allows the export of unprocessed timber of dead and dying trees from federal land in California. Interior shall establish a grant program to assist in the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development in the forest sector, raise public awareness about the forest sector, and connect individuals to careers in the forest sector. The Department of Energy shall provide support to improve the energy resilience, power needs, and energy efficiency of critical facilities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Steve Daines (R-MT), James E. Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s4431.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s4431 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116