Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025

Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025 would standardize how federal reimbursements are handled for fire suppression costs under reciprocal (intergovernmental) fire protection agreements. The bill requires the four federal Secretaries (Agriculture, Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense) to create standard operating procedures within one year that set payment timelines for cost-share arrangements established under the Reciprocal Fire Protection Act of 1955. It also directs a review of existing cost-share agreements to bring them into line with the new standards, and to modify them as needed. Additionally, the procedures must ensure that cost-share agreements are aligned with each entity’s cooperative fire protection agreements, and that the federal government reimburses local fire departments when the departments submit invoices in line with cost settlement procedures. The bill emphasizes prompt repayments, aiming for reimbursement to local fire suppression organizations as soon as practicable, and no later than one year after a fire suppression event. The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Harder (CA) and Rep. LaMalfa. In short, the act seeks to make federal-to-local fire suppression funding more predictable and timely by standardizing payment processes, aligning agreements across programs, and requiring prompt reimbursements to local fire departments following fires.