Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
Latest action · Sep 11, 2025 Held at the desk.
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 29, 2025
- Passed SenateSep 10, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
This bill provides statutory authority for existing wildfire response services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and establishes new programs and collaborative efforts to improve fire forecasting and readiness.
Specifically, in addition to other efforts, the bill directs NOAA to
- establish a coordinated fire weather services program to support readiness for and responsiveness to wildfires, fire weather, smoke, post-fire flooding and debris, and related hazards;
- develop a digital presence to promote access to and use of the services, tools, data, and information produced by the fire weather services program;
- establish a fire weather test bed to facilitate the evaluation and implementation of new capabilities, including through research and development on the use of uncrewed aircraft systems (commonly known as drones) to improve data collection;
- conduct an annual assessment after the close of fire weather season to investigate data gaps and update systems as needed;
- evaluate and update, as appropriate, the Automated Surface Observing System (the primary surface weather network in the United States) and the system used to rate the risk of wildfire; and
- establish an Incident Meteorologist Service within the National Weather Service to provide on-site support before, during, and after significant weather-related events.
The bill also exempts federal wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and accompanying incident meteorologists and management teams from certain premium pay limitations.
Finally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on the implementation of the fire weather services program, among other topics.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 29, 2025 to Feb 4, 2025; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| R-AK | Dan Sullivan | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| R-MT | Tim Sheehy | Original | Jan 29, 2025 |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Feb 4, 2025 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Jan 29, 2025Markup Feb 5, 2025Reported Jul 16, 2025 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 11, 2025Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 11, 2025Received in the House.
- Sep 11, 2025Held at the desk.
- Sep 10, 2025Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6549-6555; text: CR S6549-6555)
- Jul 16, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-42.
- Jul 16, 2025Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 119.
- Feb 5, 2025Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Feb 4, 2025Star Print ordered on the bill.
- Jan 29, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Jan 29, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6549Text printed S6549–S6555 | John Thune R-SD | Sep 10, 2025 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jul 11, 2025S. 306, Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 5, 2025
CRS reports 4
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 4
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF12938 | U.S. Satellite Capabilities for Tracking the Wildfire Life Cycle | Resource | Sep 10, 2026 |
| IF13288 | Federal Air Quality and Wildfire Smoke Forecasting | Resource | Aug 14, 2026 |
| IF12884 | Fire Weather: Background and NOAA’s Role | Resource | Jan 5, 2026 |
| IF12698 | Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3816 and H.R. 5089) | Resource | Aug 8, 2025 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish and maintain a coordinated program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that improves wildfire, fire weather, fire risk, and wildfire smoke related forecasting, detection, modeling, observations, and service delivery, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Advanced technology and technological innovations
- Atmospheric science and weather
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Emergency communications systems
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Environmental technology
- Fires
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Forests, forestry, trees
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Intergovernmental relations
- Research and development
- Science, Technology, Communications
- State and local government operations
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 10, 2025Engrossed in Senate
- Jul 16, 2025Reported to Senate
- Jan 29, 2025Introduced in Senate
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
