To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Jan 8, 2026 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 3, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service.
These requirements apply to Forest Service land that (1) has a severe, extreme, or exceptional drought intensity rating; (2) has a National Wildland Fire Preparedness level of 5 (i.e., the highest level of wildland fire activity); or (3) is located in a fireshed ranked in the top 10% of wildfire exposure.
Within 24 hours of detecting a wildfire on such Forest Service land, the service must use all available resources to extinguish the wildfire. Additionally, the service may not inhibit the firefighting activities of state and local agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfires on the Forest Service land.
Further, the service may only initiate a backfire or burnout as part of a fire suppression strategy if it is ordered by the responsible incident commander or is necessary to protect the health and safety of firefighting personnel. The service must use all available resources to control any initiated fire until it is extinguished.
The bill also limits the service's use of prescribed fires (i.e., the controlled application of fire by a team of experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire). When using prescribed fires as a fire resource management tool, the service must comply with applicable laws and regulations and immediately suppress any prescribed fire that exceeds its prescription.
Cosponsors 9
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 3, 2025 to Mar 10, 2025, with 5 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AZ | Andy Biggs | Original | Jan 3, 2025 |
| R-CA | Darrell Issa | Original | Jan 3, 2025 |
| R-CA | Doug LaMalfa | Original | Jan 3, 2025 |
| R-CA | Ken Calvert | Original | Jan 3, 2025 |
| R-MN | Pete Stauber | Original | Jan 3, 2025 |
| R-CA | Kevin Kiley | Jan 7, 2025 | |
| R-MT | Ryan K. Zinke | Jan 9, 2025 | |
| R-UT | Burgess Owens | Jan 15, 2025 | |
| R-MT | Troy Downing | Mar 10, 2025 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 8, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
- Jul 23, 2025Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Jul 23, 2025Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Feb 7, 2025Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.
- Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.