2021 California Monument Fire - Engine crew battles flames
Credit: USFS
November 15, 2021 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports Senator Alex Padilla has introduced two bills to “redesign the federal government’s response to wildfires and provide additional resources to ensure equity for communities experiencing natural disasters.”
The first is the FIRE Act, which would make several changes to the Stafford Act that governs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) including examining ways to speed up the FEMA assistance process.
The second is the Disaster Equity and Fairness Act, which would ensure that FEMA’s disaster preparedness and response efforts fully addresses emergency food and water needs following a disaster.
In the Senate, the FIRE Act and the Disaster Equity and Fairness Act are co-sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein and in the House, the bills were introduced by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), Jared Huffman (D- San Rafael), and Jimmy Panetta (D- Carmel Valley).
ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Source: RCRC
