# 119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025 119-s-306, Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA); status passed_senate; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-306 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-306 - Congress: 119 - Title: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025 - Status: passed_senate - Introduced: 2025-01-29 - Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA) - Cosponsors: 8 - Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **This bill would create a coordinated NOAA Fire Weather Services Program to improve _fire weather forecasting and decision support_.** It focuses on better models, observations, testbeds, open data, and partnerships to predict wildfires, smoke, and post-fire hazards and to deliver those products where they are most needed. - Emergency responders and incident meteorologists get a dedicated Incident Meteorologist Service that provides on-site, impact-based decision support, staffing, training, counseling, and deployment flexibility. It also includes premium-pay waivers and related pay treatment for covered emergency response duties in 2025. - Remote, rural, Tribal, and local communities gain parity of coverage and access through a centralized digital portal for findable and usable forecasts, tools, and communications. The program may fund non-Federal partners with competitive grants and contracts to improve service delivery. - Forecasters, researchers, and agencies receive a Fire Weather Testbed, pilots for uncrewed systems, a push for a fire weather–enabled Earth system model, open NOAA data with digital object identifier standards, and required high-performance computing and annual post-season surveys. The Under Secretary must submit a program plan, workforce assessment, support-services assessment, and a proposed budget within 18 months. ## Cosponsors (8) - Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-02-04T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Multi-year funding for NOAA fire program: benefit, high. If enacted, NOAA would be authorized $15 million for FY2026, $20 million for FY2027, $27 million for FY2028, $36 million for FY2029, and $50 million for FY2030. That totals $148 million over five years for this program. The money would not be allowed to unnecessarily duplicate work funded by the In… - Extra premium pay flexibility for responders: benefit, medium. If enacted, certain federal responders would have some premium pay ignored when applying pay caps. The disregard would apply to the 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) premium‑pay limit and, during calendar year 2025, to the 5 U.S.C. 5307 limit. Total pay would still be capped at the Executive Schedule Level II rate… - Grants and contracts for fire-weather work: benefit, medium. If enacted, NOAA could fund non‑federal groups through competitive grants and mobility‑program contracts. Eligible applicants would include state and local governments, tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, universities, and private‑sector entities. Small businesses could apply to support tools, d… - Drone pilots to gather fire-weather data: benefit, medium. If enacted, NOAA would run pilots using drones and other uncrewed systems to collect fire‑weather data. The pilots would test real‑world use, feed data into fire‑behavior models, and document best practices. All testing and flights would follow federal airspace rules and be coordinated with land an… - On-site incident meteorologists for wildfires: benefit, medium. If enacted, NOAA would maintain an Incident Meteorologist Service in the National Weather Service. These experts would deploy before, during, and after major fire‑weather events to give on‑the‑ground decision support. NOAA would provide staffing, training, real‑time forecast access, logistics, and… - Stronger NOAA fire weather services and data: benefit, medium. This bill would create a coordinated NOAA Fire Weather Services Program. It would improve wildfire, smoke, and post‑fire hazard forecasts and warnings, with a focus on remote and rural areas. NOAA would run a one‑stop public portal with real‑time maps, tools, and training. NOAA would make data it c… - Wildfire planning, coordination, and yearly reviews: benefit, medium. If enacted, an interagency Fire Science and Technology Working Group would start within 90 days and end within one year. The Interagency Committee would deliver a strategic plan to Congress within 18 months. NOAA would also submit a Fire Weather Services Program plan and budget within 18 months and… - Protects tribal consultation and treaty rights: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would not replace government‑to‑government consultation with Indian tribes. It would not change any tribal treaty or other rights. - Review and update wildfire risk ratings: mixed, medium. If enacted, NOAA and partner agencies would review how wildfire risk is rated. If updates are needed, NOAA would update the rating system. This could change how some properties are labeled for wildfire risk, which could help or hurt owners. ## Related bills - 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 - 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 - 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 - 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025 - 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-s-306 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/306) ## Related - [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071) - [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066) - [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923) - [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241) - [119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-410) - [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-306 (as of 2026-09-10).