# 119-s-647: Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act of 2025

119-s-647, Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-647
- 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-647
- Congress: 119
- Title: Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-20
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates a network of university‑based regional wildland fire research centers** to produce better tools, data, and models that help predict fires, guide land managers, and reduce post‑fire hazards. The centers must share data openly and coordinate through a national board to avoid duplicated work and speed deployment of operational tools. - Communities and first responders will get improved forecasting, smoke‑impact research, and better understanding of post‑fire risks like flash floods, which supports safer planning and response. - Colleges, universities, and researchers compete to host at least seven regional centers, one per specified region such as Alaska, California, the Pacific Northwest, the Pacific Islands, the Northern Rockies, the Southeast, and the Southwest. Centers will develop technologies, run models, and train new wildland fire scientists. - Federal land management agencies get a National Center Coordination Board that sets research priorities, creates FAIR data sharing protocols, and helps translate research into decision‑support tools for on‑the‑ground managers. *Authorizes new federal funding starting at $60.0 million in FY2026 and rising to $64.0 million by FY2030, plus $1.0 million per year for the Board, totaling about $315.0 million over FY2026–FY2030, increasing federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Funding for regional fire research: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would fund regional wildland fire research centers from FY2026 through FY2030. It would authorize $60 million for FY2026, $61 million for FY2027, $62 million for FY2028, $63 million for FY2029, and $64 million for FY2030. It would also authorize $1 million per year for the Nati…
- New regional wildfire research centers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would set up at least seven regional wildland fire research centers at universities or land‑grant colleges. At least one center would be in each region: Alaska, California, Northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Islands, Southeast, and Southwest. The Secretary would pick…
- National coordination and oversight rules: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a National Center Coordination Board with one member from each regional center and NOAA and the Forest Service co‑chairing. The Board would meet regularly, set data and sharing protocols, and work to avoid duplicate work with federal labs and agencies. The Secretar…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-647 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/647)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-306)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-647 (as of 2026-09-10).