Thank you to our firefighters for bringing the #MonticelloFire - TopicsExpress

Thank you to our firefighters for bringing the #MonticelloFire under control. Due to the drought, California is experiencing a scourge of wildfires. Today, I signed a “discharge petition” to bring the bipartisan Wildlife Disaster Funding Act to the House Floor for a vote. This commonsense bill would allow for the use of contingency funds when firefighting costs balloon beyond what was expected. This is how we handle similar natural disasters like floods and hurricanes. Under current law, we are forced to dip into forest management money – the funds that go toward hazardous fuel reductions which help to prevent catastrophic fires. Call it a vicious cycle or a catch-22, but we need to change this law, so that we can better protect our land and communities.