Recently in Washington

Last week the House gaveled in for the 114^th Congress and passed H.Res. 5, a resolution setting the rules of the House, by a vote of 239-168. The House also passed H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, by a vote of 266-153-1. The bill authorizes the construction, operation and maintenance of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The House also passed H.R. 30, the Save American Workers Act of 2015. This bill repeals the 30-hour definition of a full time employee in Obamacare and replaces it with the standard 40-hour definition.  It passed 252-172.  Congressman Simpson supported all three pieces of legislation.

Simpson and Schrader Reintroduce Legislation to Fix Wildfire Budget
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson and Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader reintroduced legislation to make common sense changes to the federal wildfire budget.  H.R. 167, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, which was cosponsored by nearly 150 Members of Congress and supported by a broad coalition of over 300 organizations in the 113th Congress, aims to make sure the way we budget for wildfire suppression activities makes sense by ending the destructive cycle of fire borrowing and treating catastrophic wildfires like other natural disasters.

“There are a number of steps that we need to take to address forest health and management issues, but fixing the wildfire suppression budget must be the first one,” said Simpson.  “Until we address this issue, anything we do to increase needed management activities in the forests, like hazardous fuels removal, timber harvest, conservation, or trail maintenance, will continue to be lost in fire transfers.  Fixing the wildfire budget is the critical first step in making our forests healthier and, ultimately, reducing the cost of wildfires in the future.”

“Treating catastrophic wildfires like other natural disasters – such as hurricanes and tornadoes – means land management agencies can adequately prepare for the future without jeopardizing their annual funding,” said Congressman Schrader. “Each year, critical forestry programs face unnecessary budget cuts because they are forced to transfer funds from successful forest management practices to pay for wildfire suppression.  Freeing up those financial resources to enhance catastrophic fire prevention programs will ultimately reduce costs on the federal government and help us better prevent wildfires in the future.”

H.R. 167 would budget for catastrophic wildfires in the same way as other natural disasters, like floods and hurricanes.  Under the bill, routine wildland firefighting costs, which make up about 70% of the cost of wildfire suppression, would be funded through the normal budgeting and appropriations process.  The true emergency fire events, which represent about 1% of wildland fires but make up 30% of costs, would be treated like similar major natural disasters and funded under existing disaster programs.

“The way we currently budget for fire is costing taxpayers and destroying our forests,” said Simpson.  “Passing this legislation will have a significant and long-term impact on both our public lands and on our budget, allowing us to finally budget responsibly for wildfire suppression in a way that ultimately decreases firefighting costs by mitigating fire risk and making us better prepared for and more resilient against future fires.”

Simpson Introduces Truck Weight Increase Legislation
Congressman Mike Simpson has introduced H.R. 129, the Idaho Safe and Efficient Vehicle Act of 2015.  The bill will increase the allowed weight of trucks on Idaho Interstate Highways to 129,000 pounds. The current allowance is 105,500 pounds.

H.R. 129 would put Idaho in line with neighboring states and with Idaho’s state highways, which currently allow trucks up to 129,000 pounds.  The State of Idaho has completed a comprehensive ten-year study which found the weight increase would have no significant impact on roadway safety, nor would it significantly impact the structural soundness of Idaho’s bridges or pavement.

“Last year we came closer than ever to this legislation becoming a reality,” said Congressman Simpson. “It is a common sense reform that not only puts Idaho on equal footing with its neighbors, but actually extends our system’s life by making it work better.”

A higher weight limit means trucks must have more axles than traditional trucks, distributing the weight in such a way that there is less load on each axle than a standard truck.  It also would reduce the number of trucks on the road.

Idaho’s current weight allowance is significantly less than that of neighboring states Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada, as well as British Columbia, Canada, causing difficulty for producers who ship goods on the Interstate across and into Idaho.  Additionally, heavier trucks are currently allowed to travel all throughout Idaho, but not where they should be travelling – on Idaho’s Interstates.  Instead, they are navigating state highways, intersections, pedestrian areas, railroad tracks, and school zones.

“This bill puts heavy trucks where they belong, on the Interstate,” added Simpson. “Congress needs to take action to improve our transportation system, and make it work better for everyone who uses it. This legislation would do just that.”

Simpson’s bill will require passage in the House and the Senate before heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

Floor Schedule

MONDAY, JANUARY 12TH
On Monday, the House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) H.R. 203 - Clay Hunt SAV Act (Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walz / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

2) H.R. 33 - Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act (Sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta / Ways and Means Committee)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13TH AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.

On Wednesday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, the House is not in session.

H.R. 185 - Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte / Judiciary Committee)

H.R. 37 - Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick / Financial Services Committee / Agriculture Committee)

H.R. 240 - Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Hal Rogers / Appropriations Committee)

In the News

Federal bill introduced to cover bigger forest fires
By John Myers, Duluth News Tribune, Jan 8, 2015

Legislation introduced in Washington this week would cover the cost of increasingly larger and more expensive forest fires across the U.S.

The bill would see the federal government pay for expensive fire seasons out of disaster funds and not out of the primary budget of the U.S. Forest Service, which has been stifled in recent years by so many expensive fires.

In 1991, forest fires accounted for about 13 percent of the Forest Service budget. Since then, warmer weather and more frequent droughts have drastically increased the size and frequency of fires, and the cost to fight them has risen about 22 percent annually.

The average number of fires on federal land has more than doubled since 1980, and the total area burned annually has tripled. By 2012, forest fires were eating up 47 percent of the Forest Service budget.

The result has been less money for the Forest Service to spend on forest management and recreation across the national forest system, including the Superior and Chippewa national forests in northern Minnesota and the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest in Wisconsin.

Other areas hit include programs that support tourism, including maintenance and capital improvements on thousands of recreation, research and administrative sites — cut by two-thirds since 2001. Support for recreation, heritage and wilderness activities has been cut by 13 percent. Wildlife and fisheries habitat management has been reduced by 17 percent on national forests, agency officials said in a report released in August.

The new legislation, called the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, has apparent bipartisan support in the 1114th Congress, although its success is unclear amid the turmoil in Washington budget politics.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., would allow the Forest Service to use federal disaster money to pay for catastrophic fire costs, funding wildfire suppression as the government does for hurricanes, tornadoes and flash floods.

Several conservation, hunting and fishing groups have hailed the legislation, which stalled in Congress in 2014.

Whit Fosburgh, president of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the new forest fire disaster fund would allow the Forest Service “to resume forest management activities like access enhancement, habitat restoration and wildfire prevention instead of focusing its efforts to putting out wildfires. With strong bipartisan support, this is must-pass legislation for the 114th Congress.”