Official Summaries

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins October 1, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035.

The bill also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant).

The bill removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

This act reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins June 12, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035.

The act also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant).

The act removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

Current Full Text

[119th Congress Public Law 18]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 139 STAT. 68]]

Public Law 119-18
119th Congress

                                 An Act


 
   To amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to 
reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts 
for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: June 
                         12, 2025 -  [S. 160]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Aerial 
Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 10 USC 101 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act 
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATION AND REAUTHORIZATION OF AUTHORITY FOR SALE BY 
                    DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF AIRCRAFT AND PARTS 
                    FOR WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION PURPOSES.

    Section 2 of the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 
(Public Law 104-307; 10 U.S.C. 2576 note) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``a period'' and inserting ``the 
                period''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or water'' after ``fire 
                retardant'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``sold under subsection 
        (a)'' and all that follows through the period at the end and 
        inserting ``sold under subsection (a) may be used only for the 
        provision of aircraft services for wildfire suppression 
        purposes.'';
            (3) in subsection (c), by inserting ``or water'' after 
        ``fire retardant'';
            (4) in subsection (d)(1), in the second sentence, by 
        striking ``subsection (a)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (g)''; 
        and
            (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:

[[Page 139 STAT. 69]]

    ``(g) Period for Exercise of Authority.--The period specified in 
this subsection is the period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 and ending on October 1, 
2035.''.

    Approved June 12, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 160:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 171 (2025):
            Apr. 8, considered and passed Senate.
            June 3, considered and passed House.

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