Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3922) to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3922, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3922, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, a bipartisan bill led by Representatives Neguse and Kim. This important, straightforward legislation directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study analyzing barriers to cross-boundary forest management between the Federal Government and non-Federal partners.

Catastrophic wildfires do not respect manmade boundaries. They burn across a patchwork of Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private lands, wreaking havoc all along the way. Confronting our Nation's forest health and wildfire crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach with stronger coordination and collaboration across all jurisdictions.

Tools like Good Neighbor Authority and Shared Stewardship have successfully allowed non-Federal partners to work with Federal agencies to carry out cross-boundary treatments to restore forest health and mitigate wildfire threats.

Recently, the Trump administration signed a new Shared Stewardship agreement with Montana to treat up to 200,000 acres of fire-prone, overgrown forest.

Just last week, another Shared Stewardship agreement was signed between the Forest Service and South Dakota, which will allow more fuels reduction treatments on South Dakota's nearly 2 million acres of forest land.

This type of proactive collaboration is exactly what is needed, especially as we approach the height of what some are anticipating will be one of the worst wildfire years on record. However, more can be done to remove barriers that limit cross-boundary efforts, improve coordination, and reduce fragmentation and duplication across programs.

H.R. 3922 will help address these challenges by directing the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of wildfire mitigation efforts across Federal and non-Federal lands.

This legislation requires an examination of Federal programs, rules, and authorities to determine which policies are supporting cross- boundary efforts and which are inhibiting them. The

study will also identify necessary changes to improve and increase wildfire mitigation efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3922, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Agriculture,

Washington, DC, May 26, 2026.

Hon. Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual

understanding regarding H.R. 3922, the ``Cross-Boundary

Wildfire Solutions Act.'' Thank you for collaborating with

the Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our

jurisdiction.

The Committee on Agriculture will forgo any further

consideration of this bill. However, by forgoing

consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction

over any subject matter contained in this or similar

legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the

right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of

conferees, should it become necessary, and ask that you

support such a request.

We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 3922 and request a

copy of our letters on this matter be published in the

Congressional Record during Floor consideration.

Sincerely,

Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, to address the enormity of the wildfire crisis, it is critical that we find ways to improve forest management across manmade jurisdictional boundaries. H.R. 3922 is a good bipartisan bill that will do just that by identifying existing Federal policies that can be changed to streamline proactive forest management.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first, I thank my colleague from New Mexico for her steadfast leadership, for the work that she has done as a champion for the Southwest, the great State of New Mexico, and, of course, her leadership on all matters connected to science. I am grateful to her for her steadfast leadership and commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the chairman of the full Committee on Natural Resources, for giving me the opportunity to present this important legislation. I certainly echo his remarks, the remarks from Representative Stansbury, and, of course, the remarks of Ranking Member Huffman, as well.

It has been said, but I think it bears repeating: Wildfires do not care if lands are Federal, State, or local. They don't respect manmade boundaries or political jurisdictions.

To give you a sense of what that means on the ground level, I am privileged to represent the great State of Colorado here in the U.S. Congress. I represent a Congressional District that spans 12,000 square miles. It is larger than eight States, most of which are on the Eastern Seaboard.

Over half of my Congressional District is Federal public lands. I represent three national forests, some of the most beautiful parts of our country. When you represent a district as large and as rural as mine, you see up close the damage and the devastation that comes from wildfires.

Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, but in the last several years, we have had some of the most devastating in the history of our State. The Cameron Peak wildfire, the East Troublesome wildfire, these are wildfires that raged across hundreds of thousands of acres of land, Federal land, State land, and local land.

What we have learned during the course of those fires and in the wake of that devastation is the critical need for partnership and for wildfire mitigation that ultimately stretches across these political boundaries.

It is the reason why, in the wake of the Cameron Peak fire in particular, we created the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, bringing together folks from across the political spectrum here in Washington, D.C., to try to arrive at solutions like this bill, which I think could make a real difference in saving lives in the Rocky Mountain West, in my Congressional District, across the great State of Colorado, and indeed across the country.

The Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act is simple. It is straightforward. It will help us identify and resolve the challenges that may exist with respect to gaps in wildfire mitigation across land ownership types. It is a simple, straightforward, bipartisan solution, and I am just delighted that we are able to come together on this important bill that I have introduced.

Again, I thank you for your consideration. I hope we can all join in passing this and getting it across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, sponsored by Mr. Joe Neguse, would direct the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to study the existing Federal programs, rules, and authorities that either enable or inhibit cross-boundary wildfire mitigation.

As we all know, wildfires do not respect property lines or jurisdictional boundaries. Yet, our mitigation efforts are too often hindered by the complex borders between Federal, State, local, and Tribal lands. This bill takes direct aim at this problem by answering recommendation 24 from the bipartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report.

We need to know what is working and what is standing in the way. By identifying these gaps, we can improve collaboration, ensure all levels of government have better access to mitigation and funding, and build far more effective wildfire strategies.

Ultimately, this legislation will enhance our capacity to manage these crises, reduce the frequency and severity of devastating wildfires, and protect our most vulnerable communities.

I wish to take a moment to congratulate the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), my colleague, for his exceptional leadership, not just on this bill, but on wildfires in general, and for his work in advancing critical legislation to protect our public lands.

Through his dedicated work leading the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and serving as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, Representative Neguse has been a relentless champion for our communities. This is exactly the kind of bipartisan leadership and legislation needed to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep our communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.