As Colorado faces what experts say could be the state’s worst wildfire season in history, lawmakers are seeking to incentivize wildfire mitigation efforts.

The state House passed House Bill 1007 on Friday, which would create a grant program for organizations that conduct wildfire mitigation outreach in hazard areas. The bill would also extend an existing income tax deduction and create a new state income tax credit to reimburse homeowners for the costs of performing wildfire mitigation measures on their property.

“The time to act on wildfire prevention efforts is now,” said bill sponsor Rep. Donald Valdez, D-La Jara. “My heart goes out to all those displaced by the recent wildfire in Monte Vista and yet this is another reminder of why we need to invest in prevention efforts to protect communities and build a safer state.”

This comes as officials said hot weather and dry conditions may push Colorado into the worst fire conditions in over a decade. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for over half of the state on Friday, citing conditions that are even more severe than they were for the Marshall fire – the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history that destroyed over 1,000 Boulder County homes in December.

Also on Friday, state officials announced Colorado will pour nearly $20 million of federal funding into fire prevention this year to pay for additional contracts with air tankers and helicopters, expanded dispatch services and new technology for on-the-ground coordination.

Record-breaking wildfires have become more and more common in the state, with the three largest wildfires in Colorado history all occurring in 2020.

“This is near and dear to me because my district happens to house the largest land mass wildfire in the state,” said bill sponsor Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington. “We’ve got to do everything we can to continue to mitigate the fires, especially as we’re seeing them prop up every day.”

Under the bill, the grant program would provide approximately 30 grants per year, averaging $10,000 each, to local governments, counties, municipalities, special districts, tribal agencies and nonprofit organizations. The tax credit would reimburse 25% of the wildfire mitigation expenses – up to $625 per year – and would be available to landowners with taxable income of up to $120,000.

The House passed the bill in a 56-8 vote on Friday, sending it to the Senate for consideration. All eight lawmakers who voted against the bill are Republican, who did not comment on why they opposed the bill.

The legislature also recently advanced House Bill 1111 to increase insurance coverage of wildfire losses and Senate Bill 2 to fund volunteer firefighting resources. House Bill 1012, which creates a grant program for wildfire prevention efforts from local governments, is scheduled to be voted on by the House on Monday.