H.R. 9998119th CongressReferred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Wildfire Research Coordination Act of 2026

Introduced: Jul 30, 2026

Latest action: Jul 30, 2026

Latest Action

Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Congress.gov Bill Record ↗Official Bill Text ↗

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Plain-English AI Summary

What this bill means

Generated from the official bill text to make the legislation easier to understand.

Summary Ready

What this bill does

The Wildfire Research Coordination Act of 2026 requires the Department of Defense, the Department of Agriculture (through the Forest Service), and the Department of the Interior to enter into a formal agreement to coordinate federal wildfire research and technology efforts. It also mandates a progress report to Congress.

Who it affects

* **Federal Agencies:** The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture (Forest Service), and the Secretary of the Interior. * **Federal Research Programs:** * Department of Defense: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program; Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. * Department of Agriculture / Department of the Interior: Joint Fire Science Program. * **Congress:** The House and Senate Committees on Armed Services, which will receive implementation reports.

What would change

The bill establishes the following mandatory actions: * **Joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):** Within 180 days of the bill becoming law, the Secretary of Defense must enter into an MOU with the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. * **Research Alignment:** The MOU must establish shared priorities for fire science research and technology, specifically focusing on: * Fire mitigation * Ecological resilience * Fire and smoke modeling * Response strategies * Post-fire recovery * **Program Coordination:** The agreement must directly align and coordinate the existing research programs listed above across the three agencies. * **Congressional Reporting:** Within one year of enactment, the Secretary of Defense must submit a report to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services detailing the actions taken to implement the agreement.

Money or funding

The provided summary does not mention any new appropriations, funding allocations, taxes, or fees. It focuses on coordinating existing agency programs.

Important exceptions or limits

* The bill does not create new federal agencies or new grant programs; it strictly directs the coordination of existing federal programs. * The summary does not specify any exemptions, waivers, or penalties for failing to meet the deadlines.

Plain-English bottom line

This bill requires the Department of Defense, the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior to formally partner within 180 days to streamline and align their wildfire research activities, and requires a report on their progress to Congressional defense committees within one year.

This summary was generated by AI from the official bill text. It is intended to make legislation easier to understand and does not replace the original legal language.

AI model: gemini-3.6-flashUpdated: Oct 26, 2026Review official bill text ↗