Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4038
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-01-14: Subcommittee Hearings Held
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-15T09:07:08Z
AI-Generated Summary
Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act of 2025 (H.R. 4038)
Purpose
This legislation directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to set standards for how quickly federal agencies must respond to wildfires on federal lands. It seeks to improve coordination and efficiency in wildfire management.
Key Provisions
- Definitions: Clarifies key terms, including "response time" (the period from fire ignition to on-site or aerial evaluation for suppression by public safety personnel or volunteers), "Secretary concerned" (covering the Secretary of Agriculture for Forest Service lands, the Secretary of the Interior for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the FEMA Administrator for wildland-urban interface consultation), and relevant congressional committees.
- Response Time Standards: Requires the Secretaries to establish standards within 90 days of enactment, with a goal of response within 30 minutes and deployment of suppression resources within 3 hours where feasible.
- Congressional Report: Mandates a joint report to Congress within one year that addresses a single federal point of contact for wildland fire response, a unified budget request, performance indicators for each agency, current and required firefighting fleet size, dispatch system improvements, streamlined contracting for assets, and resources needed for year-round nationwide availability.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill adds new requirements for mandatory response time standards and detailed reporting on federal wildfire operations, including fleet assessments and contracting reforms, which were not previously required by statute.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases coordination demands on the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and FEMA, likely requiring updates to dispatch systems and contracts.
- Citizens: Could support faster suppression efforts, potentially reducing property damage and risks in wildfire-prone areas.
- International Relations: No direct effects are outlined.
Main Stakeholders
- Federal land management agencies (Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and FEMA.
- Relevant congressional committees (Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, House Natural Resources, House Agriculture).
- State and local public safety officers, volunteers, and communities in the wildland-urban interface.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The measure focuses on executive implementation with required congressional reporting, potentially prompting future budget increases for firefighting resources while maintaining existing federal authority over public lands.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
Recent Actions
- 2026-01-14: Subcommittee Hearings Held
- 2026-01-07: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
- 2025-06-18: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- 2025-06-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
- 2025-06-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
- 2025-06-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
- 2025-06-17: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
- 2025-06-17: Introduced in House
- 2025-06-17: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act of 2025 — issued 2025-06-17 — PDF (5 pages)