A bill to spend $125 million to prevent and fight wildfires in Washington sailed through the state House on Thursday and now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.
The House voted unanimously to concur with Senate amendments made to the bipartisan legislation, which was promoted by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, and state Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda. It would provide $125 million every two years to boost wildfire response, accelerate forest restoration and support community resilience.
"To our firefighters and communities on the frontlines, know this: reinforcements are coming," said Franz, who leads Washington’s wildfire fighting force. "Today, the state legislature took a historic step to change the trajectory of increasing fire and destruction." "In the face of an unrelenting wildfire crisis, our state is rising to meet the moment," she said.