A Senate committee on an unspecified date voted to give House Bill 191 a due-pass recommendation after hearing testimony that the measure would create two permanent, wildfire-related funds administered by the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD): a wildfire suppression fund and a post-wildfire fund.

Proponents told the committee the bill would provide steady funding and improved reporting for firefighting and post-fire stabilization. "This is a house bill 1 91... It creates 2 wildfire related permanent funds administered by the, by MNERD, the post wildfire fund and the wildfire suppression fund," a presenter said during the hearing. Committee staff said that, if enacted, $12,000,000 in the bill would be placed into the fund as written in the draft under consideration.

Why it matters: supporters said the funds would make state spending on wildfire response more transparent and reduce gaps when state crews respond to fires that begin on federal or other jurisdictions. EMNRD and committee members discussed three distinct policy areas — mitigation, suppression and post-fire work — and said the new funds are intended to address gaps in suppression and post-fire financing rather than supplant existing mitigation programs.

Committee discussion focused on eligibility for funds, overlap with other programs, and how federal and tribal incidents would be handled. Senator Trujillo and others asked whether the funds would assist with fires that start on federal land. State Forester Laura McCarthy said wildfire response is “an interagency effort” governed by cooperative agreements and the interagency ordering system. "Whoever's jurisdiction the fire starts on is in charge of the ordering of resources. So if we are ordered through the inter agency ordering system, then our state crews will respond," McCarthy said.

Committee members asked for clarity on whether tribes or federal land incidents could receive support. EMNRD staff noted the state has worked with tribes: during the 2024 special session the Legislature appropriated $10,000,000 through another bill and EMNRD completed a $3,500,000 agreement with the Mescalero Apache Tribe for slope stabilization after the South Fork and Salt Fires.

Members also discussed existing mitigation resources, including a Forest Land Protection Revolving Fund that previously received about $20,000,000 in ARPA funding for multi-year mitigation work. EMNRD staff said the suppression fund would be funded predominantly by emergency orders and reimbursements and that the post-wildfire fund would consolidate post-fire actions so the Legislature could better track how much the state spends on those activities.

The committee moved to a due-pass recommendation. Senator Steinborn made the motion, Senator Padilla seconded it, and a staff member announced, "We have a due pass. 10 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative." The committee’s vote was recorded as in favor.

The measure will proceed to the Senate floor for further action. Committee members and staff said they expect follow-up work on related mitigation bills and mapping tools to set priorities for where to invest in thinning and other projects.