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H.R. 6618119th CongressPassed one chamberLatest action Mar 25, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
The bill requires an FAA-led study on how private drones disrupt wildfire aircraft, with a report due to Congress in 18 months.
45-second read · 4 questions answered below
HR 6618 directs the FAA, with the Interior Department and Forest Service, to study how private drones flying into wildfire flight-restriction zones disrupt firefighting aircraft. It requires review of five years of federal land data, examining effects on fire suppression time, aircraft delays, and government costs, plus possible solutions like drone detection, disabling, netting, or public education. A report to Congress is due within 18 months.
The bill directly affects the FAA, Interior Department, Forest Service, and firefighting agencies operating aircraft over public lands. Drone hobbyists and wildfire-area communities could be indirectly affected if future legislation results.
The study could inform future rules restricting drone use near wildfires, though this bill itself creates no new regulations or penalties. It formalizes data collection on a problem currently handled case by case.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
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.