FAA would study how drones in wildfire airspace slow firefighting over five years
Passed one chamberH.R. 6618Latest action
Sponsor: Janelle S. Bynum · Representative · OR
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act
119th Congress
Topics: Jobs & the economy
Introduced:
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The bill orders the FAA to study drone interference with wildfire fighting on federal land and report to Congress within 18 months; it creates no new rules.
50-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
The bill directs the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study how drones entering wildfire areas affect firefighting. The study would count drone incursions into restricted airspace over each of the last five years, estimate delays and federal costs, and assess two ideas: educational materials and approved drone-detection technology. It creates no new rules, penalties, or programs.
Who does it affect?
The study would cover land managed by the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, including the Forest Service, and would be done with those departments. Federal agencies, firefighters, and drone operators who might later face new rules or education efforts would be most directly affected.
Why does it matter?
Authorities often close the sky over a wildfire, and firefighting planes and helicopters can be grounded if a drone appears. The findings could inform later decisions on rules or education efforts, but nothing in the bill changes what drone owners can or cannot do today.
AI-drafted summary. Check it against the official text before you act on it.
Based on the “Referred in Senate” text of Mar 25, 2026.
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedDec 11, 2025
- House committee
- House vote
- SenateYou are here · Mar 25, 2026
- The president's desk
Right now: it passed the House, and the official record shows nothing new since. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.