Wildfire Response and Readiness Act

Bill Number: H.R. 10061
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 2
Policy Area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Last Updated: 2026-08-25T22:53:15Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose This legislation aims to enhance wildfire readiness, recovery, and prevention across federal lands while improving community safety, reducing wildfire risks through prescribed fire and restoration, advancing technology and response capabilities, addressing public health impacts from smoke, and strengthening support for wildland firefighters and related personnel.

Key Provisions The bill is structured in three divisions:

Division A (Resilient Landscapes): Establishes a National Prescribed Fire Program with funding flexibility (up to 15% of hazardous fuels appropriations), policies for increasing prescribed fire acreage by 10% annually, a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program for landscape-scale projects, cooperative agreements, liability protections for participants, streamlined environmental reviews, and education efforts. It reauthorizes and expands restoration programs (e.g., Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration, Joint Chiefs), creates post-disaster reforestation and emergency watershed programs, supports nurseries and seed orchards, implements a 10-year National Wildfire Plan prioritizing landscape-scale restoration, and includes protections for inventoried roadless areas.

Division B (Fire-Adapted Communities): Updates definitions of at-risk communities, expands community wildfire defense grants to include structure hardening, improves grant accessibility and technical assistance, enhances FEMA programs for mitigation and recovery, establishes an Individual Household Disaster Mitigation Program, requires various reports and studies (e.g., on community resilience, insurance, shrubland mitigation), creates a satellite-based wildfire monitoring grant program, forms a Wildfire Science and Technology Advisory Board, improves cost-share agreements and forage loss programs, establishes a Joint Office of the Fire Environment Center for data and prediction, expands interagency data collaboration, and addresses smoke monitoring, alerts, and health risk assessments.

Division C (Agency Modernization and Firefighter Safety): Creates a Middle Fire Leaders Academy and wildfire workforce grant program, expands civilian conservation centers for training, pilots veteran employment in firefighting, provides special pay limitations and rest/recuperation leave for wildland firefighters, addresses health databases and mental health support, adjusts retirement and disability rules, ensures pay parity for structural firefighters, mandates annual pay adjustments, and prohibits reductions in force or involuntary separations at the Department of the Interior and Forest Service through 2030 (with congressional notification).

Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill introduces new authorities and programs, such as expanded prescribed fire funding and liability protections, a dedicated Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program, post-disaster reforestation grants, a 10-year wildfire plan, an Individual Household Disaster Mitigation Program, a Joint Fire Environment Center, and enhanced smoke monitoring systems. It modifies pay, leave, retirement, and disability rules for firefighters (including overtime in basic pay calculations and service credit for prior breaks), reauthorizes and increases funding caps for existing restoration programs, updates community definitions and grant criteria, and adds prohibitions on workforce reductions.

Potential Impacts Federal agencies (USDA Forest Service, Department of the Interior, FEMA, EPA, NOAA) gain new responsibilities, funding flexibility, and coordination requirements but face expanded oversight and reporting. Citizens in wildfire-prone areas may benefit from reduced risks, improved community grants, better smoke alerts, and mitigation support, though implementation depends on appropriations. Tribal, state, and local governments receive enhanced collaboration opportunities and technical assistance. No direct international relations impacts are outlined.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Federal land management agencies and employees (especially wildland firefighters and support personnel).
State, local, and Tribal governments involved in fire management and grants.
Communities in at-risk or wildland-urban interface areas.
Insurance providers and homeowners (via studies and mitigation incentives).
Conservation, environmental, and forestry organizations.
Research institutions and private sector partners in technology and training.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill expands federal authority over prescribed fire, environmental reviews, and interagency data sharing while providing liability protections under the Federal Tort Claims Act framework. It includes waivers for matching funds and expedited processes that could affect administrative law. Politically, the measure emphasizes bipartisan collaboration on wildfire issues through new advisory boards and studies, with provisions for geographic diversity in projects. No significant constitutional issues are raised in the text.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

Cosponsors (8)

Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6], Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27], Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7], Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24], Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35], Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]

Recent Actions

2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business, Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2026-08-06: Introduced in House
2026-08-06: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

Wildfire Response and Readiness Act — issued 2026-08-06 — PDF (236 pages)