Reps. Mullin & Salazar Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Strengthen Community Resilience Against Disasters

Washington, D.C. - As families across the country face escalating threats from natural disasters like wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, Representatives Kevin Mullin (CA-15) and Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) introduced the bipartisan Facilitating Increased Resilience, Environmental Weatherization and Lowered Liability (FIREWALL) Act.

The bill would establish a new federal tax credit to help homeowners afford essential upgrades that make their properties more resilient, strengthen communities, and reduce long-term disaster recovery costs. This bicameral legislation was also introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (Mont.)

Research shows that every $1 invested in mitigation saves taxpayers $6 in recovery, but upgrading homes to withstand extreme weather and other disasters can be prohibitively expensive for many households. The FIREWALL Act provides direct federal support to help families take preventive steps that limit damage before disasters strike and keep communities safer.

"Communities in California and across America are all too familiar with the devastating impacts of disasters like wildfires and floods," said Rep. Mullin. "So many families have watched their homes burned to the ground, or their belongings washed away during an extreme storm, and wondered how they'd ever be able to recover. The FIREWALL Act is a critical step in providing much-needed support for communities in disaster-prone areas. By funding proactive upgrades, this bill would save lives, reduce property damage, and lower the long-term costs of disaster recovery."

"In Miami, we live with the reality that a single hurricane can irreparably damage a home and change a family's life in seconds. That's why I'm proud to co-lead the FIREWALL Act, which provides working families with a refundable federal tax credit to upgrade roofs, barriers, vents, and other protections before disaster strikes," said Rep. Salazar. "For the people I represent, this law could be the difference between their home surviving a storm or not. Across the nation, families will be safer from fires, floods, and other natural disasters thanks to the FIREWALL Act, because smart mitigation today means lower costs and safer communities tomorrow."

"As California continues to recover and rebuild from the devastating wildfires in January, this legislation is crucial in helping address the incredible risks of climate-related disasters around the state of California and around the country. Helping homeowners retrofit their homes against wildfires and other disasters, including tax credits for fire-resistant materials and related relief measures, will reduce damage, prevent further devastation, and save lives," said Senator Schiff.

"As a former aerial firefighter, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating aftermath of natural disasters on communities and families," said Senator Sheehy. "Given the unpredictability of a natural disaster, this bipartisan bill ensures that the American people receive the support they need to safeguard themselves against future disasters."

Specifically, the bill:

• Creates a refundable tax credit for disaster prevention expenditures. The tax credit would cover 50% of qualified expenses up to $25,000. Because the credit is refundable, eligible households can receive the full benefit even if they owe little to no income tax, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to making homes safer.

• Encourages a broad range of home-hardening upgrades. Eligible improvements include fire-resistant building materials, stormwater drainage systems, backup generators, floodproofing, seismic reinforcements, and other hazard mitigation measures identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

• Focuses on disaster-prone communities. To qualify, homes must be in areas that have experienced a federally-declared natural disaster within the past 10 years or are otherwise designated as high-risk by FEMA.

A broad coalition of stakeholders is supporting the FIREWALL Act:

"We are excited to see the FIREWALL Act incentivize homeowner actions to make their properties safer from wildfire. Reducing the risk to structures in the built environment is a crucial and often overlooked element to reducing the long-term costs and losses associated with wildfire. Bills like this are how we will get ahead of the problem and how we address the kind of catastrophic losses associated with wildfires that become urban conflagrations, as we tragically saw in the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires," said Annie Schmidt, Managing Director, Alliance for Wildfire Resilience.

"The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) applauds Rep. Mullin and Rep. Salazar for introducing the House companion to the FIREWALL Act. Creating real incentives is a practical way to increase resilience in our structures, lifeline infrastructure, and communities, and to reduce and eliminate long-term risks to people and property. Everyone and every community benefits from reducing the staggering burden of economic losses from disasters. The FIREWALL Act aligns co-beneficiaries from owners to lenders to operators and enables homeowners to adopt resilience measures through common-sense actions and incentives. America benefits from mitigating or preventing damage from a wildfire, earthquake, or storm, and families across the nation are safer," said Dr. George Guszcza, President and CEO of National Institute of Building Sciences.

"The FIREWALL Act is a critical investment in the safety and resilience of American communities. By empowering homeowners to adopt disaster-resistant measures, this legislation will protect lives and property and reduce the economic toll of natural disasters. As leaders in resilient design, architects understand the transformative power of smart planning and strategic investment. The American Institute of Architects is proud to support this measure, which paves the way for stronger, safer, and more sustainable communities," said Evelyn Lee, National President American Institute of Architects.

 "As we in the fire service endure what has become a year-round fire season, so too are the communities we are sworn to protect, particularly the citizens who lose their homes in the ever-increasing inferno of bigger, faster, and more devastating wildfires. In the wake of such devastation, the American spirit of renewal can only occur when the victims' grit and tenacity is matched by the support and assistance of legislation. The FIREWALL Act provides that support, empowering victims of major disasters to rebuild their homes, reclaim their lives, and regain their communities while also helping people prepare before the next disaster hits," said Brian Fennessy, President, California Fire Chiefs Association; Chair, FIRESCOPE Board of Directors; Fire Chief, Orange County Fire Authority.

"The FIREWALL Act is a crucial step toward enhancing the resilience of our communities against the growing threats posed by natural disasters. By establishing a disaster resilience tax credit, we empower local governments and organizations to invest in essential infrastructure and preparedness measures. This bipartisan legislation recognizes the pressing need for proactive solutions to safeguard lives and property, ultimately fostering a safer, more resilient future for all," said Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, Former U.S. Fire Administrator (DHS/FEMA).

"PG&E has taken a stand that catastrophic wildfires shall stop. Homeowners play a crucial role in wildfire prevention. This bill will help ensure that more Americans can make their homes more resilient against wildfires, including by creating defensible space that can help save their homes and protect firefighters," said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe.

"The FIREWALL Act introduced by Reps. Mullin and Salazar is a smart, forward-looking investment in America's safety and resilience that mirrors the strong framework advanced in the Senate. By creating a refundable tax credit for proven disaster-mitigation technologies, this bill empowers families and communities to strengthen their homes before disaster strikes. NEMA's members design and manufacture many of the technologies that make homes and communities safer, more resilient, and better prepared for wildfires, floods, storms, and other hazards, and we applaud this legislation that lowers financial barriers for homeowners, drives safer building practices, and reduces long-term costs for federal, state, and local governments. We look forward to working with leaders in both chambers to protect American families while strengthening our nation's resilience," said Spencer Pederson, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

The FIREWALL Act is endorsed by the American Institute of Architects, Alliance for Wildfire Resilience, National Institute of Building Sciences, National Association of Realtors, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), California Fire Chiefs Association, Fire Aside, Megafire Action, Former U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell, and PG&E.

Full text of the Facilitating Increased Resilience, Environmental Weatherization and Lowered Liability (FIREWALL) Act is available here.

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