HR 178 Cleared committee

Requires the Forest Service to try to put out wildfires on National Forest System lands within 24 hours of detection, in areas under severe drought or high wildfire risk.

Official title: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.

Next stop House floor: awaiting a vote

Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions

Latest action, 08-JAN-2026: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-429, Part I.

Key points

Directs the Forest Service to use all available resources to extinguish wildfires on covered lands within 24 hours of detection
Requires immediate suppression of any prescribed fire that exceeds its prescription
Limits the use of fire as a management tool to compliant prescribed fires, and allows backfires or burnouts only on an incident commander's order or to protect firefighter safety
Covers national forest lands rated D2 to D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor, lands at National Wildland Fire Preparedness level 5, or lands in the top 10 percent of wildfire exposure

AI-generated from the bill's text of 03-JAN-2025 · verify · report an error

Committee referrals (0)

Not on file for bills still in committee; the latest action above names it.

Policy area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor Tom McClintock (R-CA) Cosponsors · 9

■ 8 R■ 1 I

8 Republicans

1 Independent

congress.gov page