This Act may be cited as the Wildfire Response Improvement Act.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall recommend such regulations or guidance as are necessary to make eligible assessments and emergency stabilization to protect public safety, including for the fire management assistance program under section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187U.S. Code — Title 42, Section 5187View official source on GovInfo), irrespective of the incident period for a declared fire.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall amend the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to include guidance on wildfire-specific recovery challenges, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the resulting toxicity of drinking water resources.

(a) In general The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall conduct a review of the criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of projects intended to mitigate the impacts of wildfire under sections 203 and 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133U.S. Code — Title 42, Section 5133View official source on GovInfo; 5170c), including— (1) the establishment of pre-calculated benefits criterion for common defensible space mitigation projects for wildfire mitigation; (2) the use of nature-based infrastructure in wildfire mitigation; (3) considerations for vegetation management for wildfire mitigation; (4) reducing the negative effects of wildfire smoke on public health; and (5) lessening the impact of wildfires on water infrastructure. (b) Updated criteria Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue such guidance as is necessary to— (1) update criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of mitigation projects under sections 203 and 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133U.S. Code — Title 42, Section 5133View official source on GovInfo; 5170c) based on the results of the review conducted under subsection (a); and (2) prioritize projects under such sections based on the criteria updated under paragraph (1).