Congress·Passed House·H.R. 836

Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2025

Wildfire Fighting: Testing New Aerial Technology

Feb 6, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: The SenateNo action in 17 months

The Senate must act next: Senate consideration, where most legislation needs 60 votes to advance.

Legislative Progress

✓ House

Senate

President

Law

Likely to pass

This bill passed the House with broad support and addresses wildfire safety, which is a high priority for many states. It only requires a study rather than a large spending increase, making it easier to pass.

Key Points

This bill requires the government to study a new tool for fighting wildfires from the air. The tool is called a container aerial firefighting system, which uses specialized containers dropped from planes to help put out or slow down large fires.
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior must work together to see if this technology is effective. They are required to finish their evaluation within 90 days of the bill becoming law.
After the study is finished, the agencies must send a report to Congress within 120 days. This report will help lawmakers decide if the government should invest more money into using these containers for future fire seasons.
This effort aims to find faster and safer ways to control wildfires, which have become more frequent and destructive. If the technology works, it could provide firefighters with a new way to protect homes and forests.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones9 actions

Feb 6, 2025Senate

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Feb 5, 2025House

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Feb 5, 2025House

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H478)

The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.

Feb 5, 2025

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H478)

The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.

Feb 5, 2025House

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 836.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 836

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)

D: 3R: 2

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.