NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act
Bill: H.R.6410 | Sponsor: Rep. Kim, Young (R-CA)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act
This bill requires research on public safety communication coordination standards related to wildland firefighting.
The Public Safety and Communications Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must carry out research on such standards among wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and specified federal agencies responsible for coordinating and mobilizing for wildland fire and other incidents. The research must also focus on improving and integrating existing communications systems to allow for secure, real-time transmission of data, alerts, and advisories to fire management officials and wildland firefighters. In carrying out the research, the division must (1) conduct live and virtual field tests of equipment, software, and other technologies; and (2) consult with NIST's Fire Research Division and communication technology manufacturers.
Informed by the research, NIST must publish recommendations for specified federal agencies to improve public safety communication coordination standards among wildland first responders and fire management officials. In addition, NIST must advise the Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy concerning the agencies' implementation of the recommendations.
Within one year of the publication of NIST's recommendations, the Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the agencies have implemented the recommendations.

To require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to 
conduct research on public safety communication coordination standards 
  among wildland firefighters and fire management response officials.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``NIST Wildland Fire Communications 
and Information Dissemination Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (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 Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land 
        Management, National Park Service, National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
        Forest Service, United States Fire Administration, and the 
        Department of Defense.
            (3) Wildland firefighter.--The term ``wildland 
        firefighter'' means any person who participates in wildland 
        firefighting activities.
            (4) Fire management response officials.--The term ``fire 
        management response officials'' means regional fire directors, 
        deputy regional fire directors, agency officials who directly 
        oversee fire operations, fire management officers, and 
        individuals serving on incident management teams.
            (5) Technology manufacturers.--The term ``technology 
        manufacturers'' means companies that manufacture communications 
        technologies used by Federal, State, Tribal, and local wildland 
        fire authorities.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH.

    (a) Requirement To Conduct Research on Public Safety.--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 Division and in consultation with the Fire Research Division 
and technology manufacturers, shall carry out research on--
            (1) public safety communication coordination standards 
        among Federal, State, Tribal, and local wildland firefighters, 
        fire management response officials, and member agencies; and
            (2) improving and integrating existing communications 
        systems to trasmit secure real-time data, alerts, and 
        advisories to fire management response officials and wildland 
        firefighters.
    (b) Requirement To Conduct Field Testing of Information 
Dissemination and Technology.--The Public Safety and Communications 
Research Division, in consultation with the Fire Research Division and 
member agencies, will conduct both live and virtual field testing of 
equipment, software, and other technologies to determine current times 
of information dissemination and develop standards for the delivery of 
real-time data among member agencies, fire management response 
officials, and wildland firefighters based on findings from research 
under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS.

    (a) Requirement To Develop and Provide Recommendations.--The 
Director shall develop and publish recommendations for member agencies 
to improve public safety communication coordination standards among 
wildland first responders and fire management response officials.
    (b) Requirement To Provide Recommendations to the Office of 
Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and 
Member Agencies.--The Director shall provide recommendations to the 
Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and 
Technology Police to assist member agencies with the implementation of 
the recommendations in subsection (a).

SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Requirement To Report Research Findings and Recommendations.--
The Director shall provide the recommendations published under section 
4(a) to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the 
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
    (b) Requirement To Report on the Implementation of 
Recommendations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
publication of the Director's recommendations, the Government 
Accountability Office shall produce a report on the extent to which 
member agencies have implemented the Director's recommendations.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 
through 2027 to carry out this section.
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