Bill Details
S.441 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-06 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced Date
2025-02-06
Policy Area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (2)
7
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would require the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to work together on a plan to reorganize the federal government’s wildfire response. The plan would move federal wildfire preparedness, firefighting, and recovery work into a new agency under the Interior Department called the National Wildland Firefighting Service. The goal is to create a more unified system for handling wildfires across federal agencies.
- The plan must include a budget for the new service.
- It must explain what qualifications the agency director should have. That director would be chosen by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
- The plan must also describe what staff, tools, and legal powers are needed to bring the current federal wildfire response efforts together under one service.
- Within 180 days after the bill becomes law, the Secretaries must send the plan to the main congressional committees that oversee agriculture, natural resources, and energy.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 441 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 441
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to develop a plan to reorganize Federal wildland fire
response, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 6 (legislative day, February 5), 2025
Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Mr. Padilla) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to develop a plan to reorganize Federal wildland fire
response, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fit for Purpose Wildfire Readiness
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FEDERAL WILDLAND FIRE RESPONSE REORGANIZATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of
the Interior (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretaries'') shall
jointly develop a plan to consolidate the authorities of the
Secretaries relating to Federal wildland fire preparedness,
suppression, and recovery efforts under an agency of the Department of
the Interior, to be known as the ``National Wildland Firefighting
Service''.
(b) Requirements.--The plan developed under subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) a budget for the National Wildland Firefighting
Service;
(2) a description of the qualifications required for an
individual to be appointed to be the Director of the National
Wildland Firefighting Service, who shall be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate;
and
(3) a description of the resources and authorities
necessary to consolidate Federal wildland fire response efforts
of the Secretaries in the National Wildland Firefighting
Service.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly submit a report describing the
plan developed under subsection (a) to--
(1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate;
(2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives.
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