Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-160
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
Introduced: 2025-01-21
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Aviation and airports

Fires

Forests, forestry, trees

Military assistance, sales, and agreements
Latest action: action_date: 2025-06-12
text: Became Public Law No: 119-18.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-21
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins October 1, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035.</p><p>The bill also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant).</p><p>The bill removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.</p>

tv_txt: One Hundred Nineteenth Congress of the United States of America 1st Session Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, the third day of January, two thousand and twenty five S. 160 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AN ACT To amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 . 2. Modification and reauthorization of authority for sale by Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes Section 2 of the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 ( Public Law 104–307 ; 10 U.S.C. 2576 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)— (A) by striking a period and inserting the period ; and (B) by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (2) in subsection (b), by striking sold under subsection (a) and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting sold under subsection (a) may be used only for the provision of aircraft services for wildfire suppression purposes. ; (3) in subsection (c), by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (4) in subsection (d)(1), in the second sentence, by striking subsection (a)(1) and inserting subsection (g) ; and (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following: (g) Period for exercise of authority The period specified in this subsection is the period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 and ending on October 1, 2035. .

Speaker of the House of Representatives Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate

tv_txt: 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 160 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AN ACT To amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 . 2. Modification and reauthorization of authority for sale by Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes Section 2 of the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 ( Public Law 104–307 ; 10 U.S.C. 2576 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)— (A) by striking a period and inserting the period ; and (B) by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (2) in subsection (b), by striking sold under subsection (a) and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting sold under subsection (a) may be used only for the provision of aircraft services for wildfire suppression purposes. ; (3) in subsection (c), by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (4) in subsection (d)(1), in the second sentence, by striking subsection (a)(1) and inserting subsection (g) ; and (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following: (g) Period for exercise of authority The period specified in this subsection is the period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 and ending on October 1, 2035. .

Passed the Senate April 8, 2025. Secretary

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 160 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 21, 2025 Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Mr. Heinrich ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 . 2. Modification and reauthorization of authority for sale by Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes Section 2 of the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 ( Public Law 104–307 ; 10 U.S.C. 2576 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)— (A) by striking a period and inserting the period ; and (B) by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (2) in subsection (b), by striking sold under subsection (a) and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting sold under subsection (a) may be used only for the provision of aircraft services for wildfire suppression purposes. ; (3) in subsection (c), by inserting or water after fire retardant ; (4) in subsection (d)(1), in the second sentence, by striking subsection (a)(1) and inserting subsection (g) ; and (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following: (g) Period for exercise of authority The period specified in this subsection is the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on October 1, 2035. .