The bill establishes a prescribed fire claims fund pilot program in Washington to address the increasing risks of wildfires and promote the use of prescribed and cultural burning as effective forest management tools. The program aims to provide financial coverage for losses resulting from these controlled burns conducted on department-protected and tribal lands, thereby reducing the uncertainty and liability that currently deter such practices. The fund will support claims for property or economic damage, reasonable costs related to the burns, and costs associated with the suppression of any escapements, with a maximum reimbursement of $2,000,000 per claim.

To implement this program, the bill amends RCW 4.92.220 to include the administration of the prescribed fire claims fund pilot program as an allowable expenditure from the risk management administration account. It also establishes guidelines for claim submissions and eligibility criteria, while ensuring that claims arising from criminal or negligent acts are excluded from reimbursement. The program is set to expire on June 30, 2033, unless specific funding is provided by June 30, 2025, in the omnibus appropriations act, at which point the act would become null and void.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 43.376.010
Substitute Bill: 43.376.010
Second Substitute: 43.376.010
Engrossed Second Substitute: 43.376.010
Bill as Passed Legislature: 43.376.010
Session Law: 43.376.010