Forest Health Committee to Monitor House Bill 1078, Flags Several Wildfire Bills for Review

Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally, chair of the Forest Health Council legislative committee, opened the Jan. 10 meeting by urging members to consider which pending items should carry forward into 2025. Allison Lerch, a legislative staff member working with the council, told the group that the forestry and wildfire workforce bill the committee previously recommended has been introduced in the General Assembly and is identified as House Bill 1078. Lerch said HB 1078 "has been assigned to the House Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee" but has not yet been scheduled for a first hearing.

The committee heard that sponsors and agency partners are discussing implementation details and fiscal constraints. Lerch said the bill includes components beyond the council’s original recommendation and suggested the full committee should confirm whether it is comfortable with the bill’s broader scope. She also reported that the Department of Natural Resources took a position of support during the interim and expects to engage in hearings.

Members agreed to track the bill and consider testifying in support when hearings are scheduled. Chair McNally said she has been following the measure closely and expressed willingness to testify, while staff (Allison and James) agreed to keep the committee notified as the bill moves through the process. The group also asked staff to research any internal protocol required for the council to take a formal position or provide testimony.

Daphne, the committee’s legislative briefing participant, gave a broader overview of the General Assembly’s new composition and listed other wildfire-related measures introduced in the first days of session, including bills addressing landowner access and immunity, a Wildfire Information and Resource Center, a prescribed fire claims fund, a vegetation-fuel mitigation bill, and proposals to create public–private AI-enabled wildfire detection systems. Chair McNally raised a data-privacy concern about the AI detection proposal’s data ownership and potential commercial resale. Lerch said she did not see explicit data-privacy protections in the draft and linked the bill draft for the committee to review.

Next steps: staff will monitor committee scheduling for HB 1078, flag opportunities to testify, research whether a formal council action is required, and share the bill draft and any updates with members. The committee will revisit legislative recommendations at subsequent meetings.