PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2025
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.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
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.
People & committees
Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5] · R–CA
Legislative record
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Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-01-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The introduced bill would require the Forest Service to use all available resources to fight wildfires on specified national forest lands, aiming to extinguish them within 24 hours of detection. It would also require immediate suppression of planned fires that exceed their prescribed conditions and prohibit obstructing authorized state or local firefighting efforts.
With respect to covered National Forest System lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service— (1) shall— (A) use all available resources to carry out wildfire suppression with the purpose of extinguishing wildfires detected on such lands not later than 24 hours after such a wildfire is detected; and (B) immediately suppress any prescribed fire that exceeds prescription; (2) shall not inhibit the suppression efforts of State or local firefighting agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfire on such lands;
The proposed requirements would apply only within National Forest System lands where at least one condition applies: a severe, extreme, or exceptional drought rating; a National Interagency Fire Center declaration of preparedness level 5; or a Forest Service designation placing the area in a fireshed—a geographic area used to assess wildfire exposure—ranked in the highest 10 percent of exposure under its latest published models.
(b) Covered national forest system lands defined In this section, the term covered National Forest System lands means any area— (1) located within National Forest System lands; and (2) that— (A) the U.S. Drought Monitor has rated as having a D2 (severe drought) intensity, D3 (extreme drought) intensity, or D4 (exceptional drought) intensity; (B) the National Interagency Fire Center declares has a National Wildland Fire Preparedness level of 5; or (C) the Forest Service has identified as being located in a fireshed ranked in the top 10 percent of wildfire exposure (as determined using the most recently published models of fireshed risk exposure published by the Forest Service).
The Agriculture Secretary, acting through the Forest Service Chief, would have to use all available resources for wildfire suppression on covered lands. Extinguishing a wildfire within 24 hours of detection is the stated purpose of that duty; the text does not guarantee that every fire would be extinguished within that time.
With respect to covered National Forest System lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service— (1) shall— (A) use all available resources to carry out wildfire suppression with the purpose of extinguishing wildfires detected on such lands not later than 24 hours after such a wildfire is detected;
On covered lands, the Forest Service would have to immediately suppress any prescribed fire—a planned burn—that exceeds its prescribed conditions. It could use fire to manage land only through prescribed fires that comply with applicable laws and regulations.
(B) immediately suppress any prescribed fire that exceeds prescription;
(3) may only use fire as a resource management tool if the fire is a prescribed fire that complies with applicable law and regulations;
The Forest Service could not hinder wildfire suppression by state or local firefighting agencies authorized to respond on covered lands.
(2) shall not inhibit the suppression efforts of State or local firefighting agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfire on such lands;
During a wildfire on covered lands, the Forest Service could start a backfire or burnout—a deliberately set fire used in firefighting—only on the responsible incident commander's order or when necessary to protect firefighting personnel's health and safety.
(4) may only initiate a backfire or burnout during a wildfire— (A) by order of the responsible incident commander; or (B) in instances that are necessary to protect the health and safety of firefighting personnel;
The Forest Service would have to use all available resources to control any backfire or burnout it initiates under these provisions until that fire is extinguished.
(5) shall use all available resources to control any such initiated backfire or burnout until extinguished.
The supplied September 19, 2026 source snapshot records introduction on January 3, 2025, an order to report the bill with amendments by voice vote on July 23, 2025, and reporting with amendments by the House Natural Resources Committee on January 8, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-19T23:07:46Z.
2025-01-03: Introduced in House
2025-07-23: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
2026-01-08: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-01-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the contents of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures and accompanying committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential treatment, special exemption, or carve-out was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI