Sponsors (2)
Introduced November 19, 2025 by Dave Min · Last progress November 19, 2025
The bill strengthens regional wildland‑fire research, data sharing, training, and predictive tools to improve public safety and research capacity—especially benefiting researchers, tribes, and local communities—while requiring multi‑year federal funding and carrying risks that benefits may be uneven and decision‑making may be narrowed by statutory definitions.
Local communities and fire managers get improved predictive tools, near‑real‑time models, and research focused on public safety, smoke, mitigation, and restoration, improving preparedness and response.
Researchers, students, and universities gain clearer eligibility rules, expanded partnership opportunities, and new regional research centers and training programs, strengthening workforce development and collaborative research capacity.
Federal, State, Tribal, and regional agencies benefit from coordinated research, standardized data sharing, and clearer oversight, reducing duplication and improving operational decision‑making.
Taxpayers bear multi‑year costs (about $60M–$64M annually plus Board funding) without guaranteed long‑term outcomes or accountability for effectiveness.
Implementation risks concentrating benefits at well‑resourced institutions and regions, potentially limiting access and practical benefits for underserved, rural, or resource‑constrained communities despite stated priorities for MSIs.
Narrow statutory definitions and explicit naming of 'appropriate' congressional committees may exclude some stakeholders or projects and concentrate decision‑making, reducing input from other relevant partners.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a program to create at least eight regional wildland fire research centers (with a pilot), coordinated national governance, applied research integration into operations, open data, and workforce training.
Creates a federal program to establish at least eight regional wildland fire research centers hosted at colleges, universities, or land-grant institutions. The law requires a competitive selection process, a pilot phase of at least two centers, regional placement across eight defined geographic regions, coordination via a national board, partnerships with federal and regional agencies, applied research tied to operational decision-support systems, and FAIR-aligned open data and workforce training — with implementation subject to available appropriations.