H.R. 6903 · 117th Congress
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
McClintockSponsor1 cosponsor · 1 R
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 2, 2022
This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service.
Within 24 hours of detecting a wildfire on Forest Service land, the service must use (to the maximum extent practicable) 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 Forest Service land.
Further, the service may not initiate a backfire or burnout as part of a fire suppression strategy unless ordered by the responsible incident commander and must control any initiated fire until it is extinguished. An individual who is harmed by an improperly initiated or controlled backfire or burnout may sue the United States.
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). The service must comply with all applicable laws and regulations concerning prescribed fires and must immediately suppress (to the maximum extent practicable) a prescribed fire that exceeds its prescription.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.
Latest action (Mar 8, 2022): Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
Policy area: Agriculture and Food · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 2, 2022
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.