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S. 91: Western Wildfire Support Act of 2026

119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-14 · Emergency Management · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 629.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2026

Plain summary

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025 This bill addresses wildfires by authorizing post-fire recovery activities, supporting adoption of technology, and requiring additional federal coordination. The bill authorizes federal wildfire response and recovery activities by providing statutory authority for Burned Area Emergency Response Teams to coordinate emergency stabilization and erosion planning, and establishing an account to fund federal rehabilitation projects in areas impacted by a wildfire (e.g., ecosystem restoration, replacing infrastructure critical for land management). Additionally, for all hazard types, the bill includes post-disaster assistance in the federal disaster preparedness program and authorizes assistance to states for operating websites to provide information on post-disaster recovery resources. The bill requires federal agencies to develop and utilize technologies for managing wildfires by expediting the permitting and use of wildfire detection equipment (e.g., sensors, cameras); providing funding to Indian tribes for slip-on tanker units that convert vehicles into fire engines; performing research and development on wildfire response applications of unmanned aircraft systems (e.g., drones); studying radio communications systems, situational awareness tools, and wildland fire predictive modeling; and administering a prize competition for technological innovation for managing wildfire-related invasive species. The bill directs federal agencies to plan and coordinate on wildfire management by incorporating the best available science and planning tools into spatial fire management policies for federal lands, collaborating with state agencies for mutual aid in fire suppression (including reimbursing states for suppressing fires caused by military operations), and studying training gaps for integrating structural (e.g., local) firefighters into wildfire response.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2026

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] · 1 cosponsors

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Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Statute
A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong119-s91 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills