(d) STRATEGIC PLAN.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Committee shall 
submit to Congress a strategic plan for the Program that 
includes the following: 
(1) A description of short-term, mid-term, and 
long-term objectives to achieve the purpose specified 
in subsection (b). 
(2) A description of how agencies specified in 
subsection (c) will collaborate with stakeholders and 
take into account stakeholder needs and rec-
ommendations in developing such objectives. 
(3) A description of existing and new observa-
tional and data infrastructure needed to accomplish 
such objectives. 
(4) A description of the role of each such agen-
cy in achieving such objectives. 
(5) Guidance regarding how the Committee’s 
recommendations are best used in climate adapta-
tion planning for Federal, State, local, Tribal, and 
territorial entities. 
(e) INTERAGENCY
AGREEMENTS.—The heads of 
agencies specified in subsection (c) may enter into one or 
more interagency agreements providing for cooperation 
and collaboration in the development of wildfire fore-
casting, detection, and monitoring tools, instruments,
technologies, and research to accomplish the purpose de-
scribed in subsection (b). 
(f) COLLABORATION.—The head of each agency spec-
ified in subsection (c) shall, to the extent practicable, in-
crease engagement and cooperation with international, 
academic, State, and local communities regarding the in-
frastructure, data, and scientific research necessary to 
best advance the forecasting, detection, and monitoring of 
and preparation for wildfires. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WILDFIRES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the submission of the strategic plan required by sec-
tion 3(d), the Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy shall establish a national advisory 
committee to be known as the ‘‘National Advisory 
Committee on Wildfires’’ (in this section referred to 
as the ‘‘Advisory Committee’’). The Advisory Com-
mittee shall consist of not fewer than seven and not 
more than 15 members who are qualified to provide 
advice regarding wildfire forecasting, detection, mon-
itoring, and delivery of related products or services, 
including from the following entities: 
(A) Research and academic institutions.
(B) Public communication or broadcast en-
tities. 
(C) Emergency management agencies. 
(D) State, local, or Tribal governments. 
(E) The National Association of State For-
esters. 
(F) Business communities. 
(G) Other entities as designated by the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy. 
(2) PROHIBITION.—Members of the Advisory 
Committee may not be employees of the Federal 
Government. 
(b) ASSESSMENT.—The Advisory Committee shall 
offer assessments and recommendations relating to the 
following: 
(1) Tailored forecasting, detection, and moni-
toring products and tools. 
(2) Communication and delivery methods of 
wildfire forecasting, detection, and monitoring infor-
mation. 
(3) Opportunities to streamline Federal fore-
casting, monitoring, and detection information to 
local emergency personnel and communities.
(4) The management, coordination, implemen-
tation, and activities of the Interagency Coordi-
nating Committee on Wildfires under section 3. 
(5) The effectiveness of the Interagency Coordi-
nating Committee on Wildfires in meeting its pur-
poses. 
(c) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Advisory Com-
mittee shall serve without compensation. 
(d) REPORTS.—Not less frequently than biennially, 
the Advisory Committee shall report to the Director of the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy on the assess-
ments carried out under subsection (b) and its rec-
ommendations for ways to improve the coordination and 
dissemination of wildfire forecasts, warnings, and detec-
tion and monitoring information. 
(e) CHARTER.—Notwithstanding section 1013(b)(2) 
of title 5, United States Code, the Advisory Committee 
shall not be required to file a charter subsequent to its 
initial charter, filed under section 1008(c) of such title, 
before the termination date specified in subsection (f) of 
this section. 
(f) TERMINATION.—The Advisory Committee shall 
terminate on September 30, 2028. 
(g) CONFLICT
OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com-
mittee member shall recuse himself or herself from any
Advisory Committee activity in which he or she has an 
actual pecuniary interest. 
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRE WEATHER TESTBED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall es-
tablish a fire weather testbed to enable engagement across 
the Federal Government, State and local governments, 
academia, private and federally funded research labora-
tories, the private sector, and end-users in order to evalu-
ate the accuracy and usability of technology, models, fire 
weather products and services, and other research to accel-
erate the implementation, transition to operations, and use 
of new capabilities by the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, Federal and land management 
agencies, and other relevant stakeholders. 
(b) RESOURCES.—In carrying out this section, the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration may not transfer or reprogram any funds, 
detail any personnel, or make use of any infrastructure 
from cooperative institutes of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration in existence as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act for the fire weather testbed es-
tablished under subsection (a).
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $4,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2025 through 2028 to carry out this section. 
SEC. 6. INCIDENT METEOROLOGIST WORKFORCE. 
(a) WORKFORCE AND TRAINING ASSESSMENT.—Not 
later than six months after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate the results of 
an assessment of National Weather Service workforce and 
training challenges for Incident Meteorologists, and a 
roadmap for overcoming such challenges. Such assessment 
shall take into consideration information technology sup-
port, logistical and administrative operations, anticipated 
weather and climate conditions, and feedback from rel-
evant stakeholders, and shall include, to the maximum ex-
tent practicable, an identification by the National Weather 
Service of the following: 
(1) The expected number of Incident Meteorolo-
gists needed over the next five years. 
(2) Potential hiring authorities necessary to 
overcome any identified workforce and training chal-
lenges.
(3) Alternative services or assistance options 
the National Weather Service could provide to meet 
operational needs. 
(b) OVERTIME PAY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any premium pay for serv-
ices performed by Incident Meteorologists of the Na-
tional Weather Service that are determined by the 
Secretary of Commerce to be primarily related to 
emergency wildland fire suppression activities shall 
be disregarded in calculating the aggregate of such 
employee’s basic pay and premium pay for purposes 
of a limitation under section 5547 of title 5, United 
States Code, or under any other provision of law. 
(2) RATES.—Section 5542(a)(5) of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, the 
National Weather Service,’’ after ‘‘Interior’’. 
SEC. 7. RESEARCH ON WILDLAND FIRE COMMUNICATIONS 
AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) PUBLIC
SAFETY
RESEARCH.—Not later 
than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Director, acting through the head of the 
Public Safety and Communications Research Divi-
sion and in consultation with the Fire Research Di-
vision and technology manufacturers, shall carry out 
research on the following: 
(A) Public safety communication coordina-
tion standards among Federal, State, Tribal, 
and local wildland firefighters, fire management 
response officials, and member agencies. 
(B) Improving and integrating existing 
communications systems to transmit secure 
real-time data, alerts, and advisories to and 
from fire management response officials and 
wildland firefighters. 
(2) FIELD TESTING AND MEASUREMENT OF IN-
FORMATION
DISSEMINATION
AND
TECHNOLOGY.— 
The Public Safety and Communications Research 
Division, in consultation with the Fire Research Di-
vision and member agencies, shall conduct both live 
and virtual field testing of equipment, software, and 
other technologies to determine current times of in-
formation dissemination and develop standards for 
the delivery of useful and secure real-time data 
among member agencies, fire management response 
officials, and wildland firefighters, based on findings 
from research under paragraph (1). 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall develop 
and publish recommendations to improve public safe-
ty communication coordination standards among 
wildland first responders and fire management re-
sponse officials. 
(2) TRANSMITTAL.—The Director shall trans-
mit the recommendations under paragraph (1) to 
the Office of Management and Budget and the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy for member 
agencies to implement. 
(3) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report con-
taining the recommendations published under 
paragraph (1). 
(B) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of the publication of the Di-
rector’s recommendations under paragraph (1), 
the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a re-
port on the extent to which member agencies 
have implemented such recommendations. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology. 
(2) MEMBER
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘member 
agency’’ means a member agency of the National 
Interagency Fire Center, including the Bureau of In-
dian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National 
Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, For-
est Service, United States Fire Administration, and 
the Department of Defense. 
(3) 
WILDLAND
FIREFIGHTER.—The 
term 
‘‘wildland firefighter’’ means any person who partici-
pates in wildland firefighting activities. 
(4) 
FIRE
MANAGEMENT
RESPONSE
OFFI-
CIALS.—The term ‘‘fire management response offi-
cials’’ means regional fire directors, deputy regional 
fire directors, agency officials who directly oversee 
fire operations, fire management officers, and indi-
viduals serving on incident management teams.
(5) TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURERS.—The term 
‘‘technology manufacturers’’ means private sector 
entities that manufacture communications tech-
nologies used by Federal, State, Tribal, or local 
wildland fire authorities. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FIRE ENVIRONMENT.—The term ‘‘fire envi-
ronment’’ means— 
(A) the environmental conditions, such as 
soil moisture, vegetation, topography, snowpack, 
atmospheric temperature, moisture, and wind, 
that influence— 
(i) fuel and fire behavior; and 
(ii) smoke dispersion and transport; 
and 
(B) the associated environmental impacts 
occurring during and after fire events. 
(2) FIRE WEATHER.—The term ‘‘fire weather’’ 
means the weather conditions that influence the 
start, spread, character, or behavior of wildfires or 
fires at the wildland-urban interface and relevant 
meteorological and chemical phenomena, including 
air quality, smoke, and meteorological parameters 
such as relative humidity, air temperature, wind
speed and direction, and atmospheric composition 
and chemistry, including emissions and mixing 
heights. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 2024. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4866 
AN ACT 
To direct the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administrator to improve 
fire weather and fire environment forecasting, de-
tection, and local collaboration, and for other 
purposes.