Senate Bill Report, SB 6079 — Creating a Wildfire Mitigation Grant Program (January 22, 2026)
Summary
Senate Bill Report on SB 6079, as of January 22, 2026, for the Senate Committee on Business, Trade & Economic Development, with the bill requested by the Insurance Commissioner. The brief summary says the bill creates the Strengthen Washington Homes Program, administered by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), to provide financial grants to real property owners, building contractors, and nonprofit organizations for wildfire risk mitigation for insurable dwellings. It also creates an account in the state treasury, prohibits property insurers from using wildfire risk as a disqualifying risk factor if a property has a specified designation, and authorizes the OIC to conduct pilot projects and adopt rules. Senator Marcus Riccelli, Prime Sponsor, is listed as testifying PRO.
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“Senate Bill Report, SB 6079 — Creating a Wildfire Mitigation Grant Program (January 22, 2026).”
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SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6079
As of January 22, 2026
Title: An act relating to creating a wildfire mitigation grant program.
Brief Description: Creating a wildfire mitigation grant program.
Sponsors: Senators Riccelli, Short, Nobles, Saldaña and Valdez; by request of Insurance
Commissioner.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Business, Trade & Economic Development: 1/22/26.
Brief Summary of Bill
• Creates the Strengthen Washington Homes Program (program),
administered by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), to
provide financial grants to real property owners, building contractors,
and nonprofit organizations for wildfire risk mitigation efforts for
insurable dwellings in accordance with specified standards.
• Creates an account for the program in the state treasury and specifies
funding sources.
• Prohibits property insurers from using wildfire risk as a disqualifying
risk factor for coverage eligibility if a property has a specified
designation.
• Authorizes the OIC to conduct pilot projects and adopt rules.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, TRADE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Staff: John Kim (786-7453)
Background: Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group. In 2025, the
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative
members in their deliberations. This analysis is not part of the legislation nor does it
constitute a statement of legislative intent.
Senate Bill Report -1- SB 6079
Legislature created a wildfire mitigation and resiliency standards work group (work group)
to study and make recommendations on such standards to the Legislature. The work group
was co-chaired by the Insurance Commissioner and the Commissioner of Public Lands for
the Department of Natural Resources and included members and ex officio members from
various stakeholder groups.
The Legislature required the work group to develop recommendations in five areas. One
area was specified as establishing a grant program to provide grants to Washington
homeowners for purposes including, but not limited to, retrofitting residential property to
resist loss due to wildfire and evaluating whether residential property meets nationally
recognized, science-based, wildfire mitigation standards.
The work group was required to include recommendations for:
• a grant program framework that will promote a decrease in the number of non-
renewals of consumer general casualty insurance or property insurance policies; and
• whether and how local fire protection districts may collaborate with the
grant program administrator.
The work group published its final report to the Legislature in December 2025. Regarding
the grant program, the report concluded there was strong support—22 yes, 7 no, 29
total—for a voluntary grant program with eligibility based on achieving Insurance Institute
for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) standards, while minority positions in the work
group expressed equity concerns and the need for flexible collaboration with local entities.
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner's Existing Accounts. The annual cost of
operating the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is determined by legislative
appropriation. A pro rata share of the cost, except for the cost of the Insurance Fraud
Program, is charged as a regulatory surcharge to specified organizations regulated under the
Washington Insurance Code. Each class of organization must contribute a sufficient amount
to the OIC's regulatory account to pay the reasonable costs, including overhead, of
regulating that class of organization. The regulatory surcharge is calculated separately for
each class of organization and is represented by the organization's portion of the receipts
collected or received by all organizations within that class on business in this state during
the previous calendar year.
Similarly, an annual insurance fraud surcharge is charged to all regulated organizations to
fund the annual cost of operating the OIC's Insurance Fraud Program and is deposited in the
OIC's fraud account.
Unexpended funds in the OIC's regulatory and fraud accounts at the close of a fiscal year
are carried forward to the succeeding fiscal year and are used to reduce future regulatory
and insurance fraud surcharges.
Summary of Bill: Strengthen Washington Homes Program. The Strengthen Washington
Senate Bill Report -2- SB 6079
Homes Program (Program) is established with the stated purpose of providing financial
grants to real property owners, building contractors, and nonprofit organizations to assist
and promote wildfire risk mitigation efforts for insurable dwellings in accordance with the
wildfire prepared standards.
The following terms are defined:
• insurable dwelling means a dwelling located or situated on, or affixed to, residential
real estate and includes a single-family or multifamily dwelling, including a modular
home;
1. a modular home means a factory-assembled structure designed primarily for
use as a dwelling when connected to the required utilities that include
plumbing, heating, and electrical systems contained therein, does not contain its
own running gear, and must be mounted on a permanent foundation; and
2. a modular home does not include a mobile home or manufactured home; and
• wildfire prepared standards means Wildfire Prepared Home and Wildfire Prepared
Neighborhood designation standards published by the IBHS or a successor entity.
Any financial grant provided under the Program to mitigate an insurable dwelling is
contingent upon the real property owner securing all required permits and applicable
inspections in accordance with local building codes as well as a Wildfire Prepared standard
or equivalent designation from the IBHS or a successor entity. The Program does not create
an entitlement for property owners, building contractors, or nonprofit organizations to
obtain funds for, or obligate the state in any way to fund, any activity for which a financial
grant is permitted.
Pilot Projects. OIC may conduct localized pilot projects to inform the implementation of
the Program. The pilot projects must include identification of the most efficient means of
administering the Program, development of the necessary workforce to implement the
Program fully, and establishment of the schedule for full implementation.
Strengthen Washington Homes Program Account. The Strengthen Washington Homes
Program Account (Account) is created in the state treasury. To the extent funding is
available in the Account, the OIC must implement and administer the Program. Moneys in
the Account may be spent only after appropriation and expenditures from the Account may
be used only for the purposes of the Program. The annual cost of operating the Program is
determined by legislative appropriation. Grants and funds received for the purposes of the
Program and any legislative appropriations must be deposited into the Account. Any
interest earned on money in the Account must remain in the Account.
The OIC may accept any and all donations, bequests, gifts, conveyances, devises, and grants
conditional or otherwise; or money, property, service, or other things of value which may be
received from the United States or any agency thereof, any governmental agency,
institution, person, firm, or corporation, public and private, to be held, used, or applied for
the purpose of the program.
Senate Bill Report -3- SB 6079
The bill authorizes the use of unexpended funds in the OIC's regulatory and fraud accounts
at the close of a fiscal year to fund the Account in the succeeding fiscal year, rather than
only being used to reduce future regulatory and insurance fraud surcharges.
The bill specifies that the Account is entitled to its proportionate share of earnings of
investments of surplus balances in the state treasury's income account based on the
Account's average daily balance.
Restriction on Insurer Use of Wildfire Risk as a Disqualifying Risk Factor. An insurer may
not use wildfire risk as a disqualifying risk factor for eligibility of property insurance
coverage if the property has a current Wildfire Prepared Home, Wildfire Prepared
Neighbors, or an equivalent designation from the IBHS or a successor entity.
Rulemaking. The OIC may adopt rules as necessary to implement the Program, including
to:
• establish application forms and procedures for obtaining a financial grant;
• specify the eligibility criteria, requirements, and procedures for obtaining a financial
grant, which may include, but are not limited to, providing financial grants to:
1. real property owners to retrofit owner-occupied insurable dwellings;
2. nonprofit organizations to improve the wildfire resilience of single-family
insurable dwellings occupied or owned by low-income and moderate-income
individuals; and
3. governmental entities;
• require that any insurable dwelling wildfire risk mitigation funded by a grant under
the Program:
1. comply with the most recent version of any applicable wildfire prepared
standards and specific standards and designations that are applicable to the
insurable dwelling; and
2. be performed by contractors who meet criteria established by the OIC;
• develop procedures and requirements for distributing financial grants; and
• collect the documentation necessary to allow for any auditing of the Program that is
required under the terms of a grant or other funds received by the Program.
Short Title. The act created by the bill may be known and cited as the Strengthen
Washington Homes Act.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 15, 2026.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.
Senate Bill Report -4- SB 6079
Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: Homeowner policy nonrenewals have
doubled since 2021, affecting some communities much more than others. Our wildfire
season is getting longer and the wildfires are getting more devastating. The IBHS' research
on mitigating homes against wildfire risk was shared with the wildfire mitigation work
group and helped inform creating a voluntary grant program to retrofit homes using the
IBHS standards as a benchmark. Several states already have grant programs based on IBHS
standards for other risks. This bill has no impact on the state general fund. Initial setup and
targeted grants for a pilot program will be provided using existing OIC funds. We will come
back to the Legislature in the future with permanent funding ideas. This bill should be
enacted this year to allow the OIC to begin standing up the program and moving grant funds
to consumers. Auditing of the program will be done through rulemaking. I traveled to
Lahaina and the Pacific Palisades and the cost of recovery is in the billions of dollars. The
best bang for our buck is in investing in mitigation up front.
I encourage you to look at the cancellations and nonrenewals in your districts. I was
surprised at the high number even in urban areas. One of my constituents put several
hundred thousand dollars into hardening their home and was still unable to obtain insurance.
If people are doing things that are right, they should be able to be insured and have their
homes protected.
I'm the mayor of the City of Medical Lake. In 2023, we had the most devastating fire that's
ever happened in Spokane County and lost 240 homes in a day, plus about that many more
damaged by smoke. We were not prepared for the disaster. I support the bill because it
incentivizes communities to create defensible space, harden off, and be prepared. After the
wildfire, insurers canceled insurance for entire zip codes and many homeowners were
dropped as soon as they renewed. Most of the homes in the area are now on their third
insurance company. The bill gives a quantifiable standard of defensibility.
Washington Realtors supports the bill. Realtors witness and sometimes directly experience
the challenges wildfires have on families, homes, and communities. Encouraging proactive
risk mitigation through grants and wildfire preparedness makes sense. Expanding
opportunities to obtain and maintain insurance will provide great relief to many families.
350 Washington supports the bill. Alabama's insurance commissioner released data last year
showing that homes in Alabama upgraded to meet IBHS standards performed better and
suffered less damage during hurricanes. We are already spending a tremendous amount of
public dollars on cleanup from climate disasters. Getting state investment into mitigation
and resilience is much more cost-effective.
CON: The American Property Casualty Insurance Association shares the goals of the bill
but has concerns with two sections of the bill. First, the underwriting prohibition tied to
IBHS Wildfire Prepared designations - these standards are valuable and effective, but even
a well-prepared home can face significant residual wildfire risk based on its location,
weather patterns, access to the property, and regional fire behavior. Underwriting must
Senate Bill Report -5- SB 6079
consider broader risk considerations. Turning a mitigation designation into a mandated
eligibility outcome prevents insurers from considering true risk information. When insurers
cannot accurately write to the risk, there is a risk that the insurer will leave that market
entirely. Secondly, funding the program through the OIC's regulatory account is a concern
because the regulatory account is funded by premium taxes and surcharges, not just by
property and casualty insurers, but across the entire landscape of insurance. The account is
designed to pay for the cost of regulating insurers, not to serve as a funding source that can
be swept into broader public policy areas.
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies shares American Property
Casualty Insurance Association's two concerns. We believe the IBHS designation of a
Wildfire Prepared Home is a great tool, but a wildfire-prepared home is a far cry from a
wildfire-proof home and that's why we have problems with the bill's underwriting
prohibition. Wildfire-prepared homes are great in slow-moving fires, but when a fire comes
rolling down in certain scenarios, a wildfire-prepared home is just as vulnerable as anything
else and we've moved on from a scenario where the preparation makes much of a
difference. We think it's a bad practice to assume that remediations and hardenings provide
a fireproof system. There's going to be a lot of damage in some circumstances and those are
things that insurers have to take into account to accurately price and rate the risk. As to
funding the program, insurers pay premium taxes and fees to be regulated and have the
appropriate amount of staff to have their forms approved. We believe these fees should
continue to regulate the industry as opposed to standing up a new program.
OTHER: Washington Community Wildfire Solutions supports a grant program but has
suggestions on how to improve it. While the IBHS Prepared Home standard is considered a
gold standard for wildfire mitigation in the built environment, the IBHS Prepared
Neighborhood Program was created in 2024 and is in its field-testing infancy. First, the
grant program should be equitable and accessible. For example, IBHS charges application
and renewal fees, so grant programs should cover these costs. Second, the grant program
should support low- and moderate-income families to rebuild to IBHS standards after a fire.
Third, involve agencies already doing this work, such as the State Conservation
Commission, the conservation districts, and the Department of Natural Resources. Fourth,
allow flexibility for geography and ecotypes. IBHS standards may conflict with planning,
zoning, and land use requirements for environmental protection. Fifth, grants should not be
limited to the full IBHS standard. There should be flexibility in program development. And
finally, we do not recommend the adoption of the IBHS Prepared Neighborhood Program
yet; it needs more development.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Marcus Riccelli, Prime Sponsor; Patty Kuderer, Office
of the Insurance Commissioner; Lauren Burnes, Office of the Insurance Commissioner;
Mary Hull-Drury, Washington Realtors; Mayor Terri Cooper, City of Medical Lake;
Andrew Eckels, 350 Washington.
CON: Brandon Vick, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC); Kris
Senate Bill Report -6- SB 6079
Tefft, American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
OTHER: Luke Esser, Washington Community Wildfire Solutions.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: OTHER: MIKE Bucy, Stevens Fire
District 1.
Senate Bill Report -7- SB 6079
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