WINGS Act
Firefighting Equipment: Giving Ownership of Planes to States
The WINGS Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
This bill has bipartisan support from senators in states that deal with heavy wildfires and addresses a practical administrative problem.
Key Points
- The WINGS Act allows the federal government to give full ownership of firefighting planes and parts to state and local agencies. Currently, these agencies only borrow the equipment from the Forest Service, even though they spend a lot of money maintaining it.
- To get ownership, a state or local fire department must have used the plane for at least 10 years or the parts for 5 years. They must also show they have followed all safety rules and kept good records of the equipment.
- This change helps local fire departments plan for the future without worrying about the federal government taking the equipment back. It also cuts down on paperwork for both the states and the federal government.
- Once a state owns a plane, they must promise to keep using it for public safety or firefighting for at least five more years. They cannot sell or lease the planes to private companies during that time without special permission.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
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.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
WINGS Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.