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H.R. 956

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 956, the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, was introduced in the House on Feb 4, 2025 by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R) with 17 co-sponsors. It was referred to Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture, and last saw action on Mar 7, 2025: Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.

Record

Text

H.R. 956 has 17 co-sponsors.

hb956/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 956 IH: Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-02-04
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 956  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   February 4, 2025   Mr. Newhouse  (for himself,  Mr. Ellzey ,  Mr. Carbajal , and  Mr. Vasquez ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , and in addition to the Committees on  Armed Services , and  Agriculture , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned   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.
 .

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-02-04
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House Feb 4, 2025

hb956/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (02/04/2025)

Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025

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.

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).

The bill removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.

Sponsors

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R) sponsors H.R. 956, and 17 members have co-sponsored it, 3 of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 956 went before 4 committees: Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee, Agriculture, Armed Services and Oversight and Government Reform.

Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee
Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee
Referred to · Mar 7, 2025 · 45 Bills
Agriculture
Agriculture
Referred To · Feb 4, 2025 · 226 Bills
Armed Services
Armed Services
Referred To · Feb 4, 2025 · 581 Bills
Oversight and Government Reform
Oversight and Government Reform
Referred To · Feb 4, 2025 · 696 Bills

Actions

H.R. 956 has taken 3 actions since Feb 4, 2025, the latest on Mar 7, 2025.

ChamberAction
Mar 7, 2025
House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee
Feb 4, 2025
House
Introduced in House
Feb 4, 2025
House
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.Oversight and Government Reform Committee

Votes

H.R. 956 has not gone to a roll call.

1 bill is related to H.R. 956, as Identical bill.

Titles

H.R. 956 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 — Display Title
  • Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • 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. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

9 clients hired 4 firms and 6 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 956 in 28 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Aviation/Airlines/Airports, Chemicals/Chemical Industry, Disaster Planning/Emergencies, Insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Torts, Budget/Appropriations.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSManufacture and sale of fire-retardant products.Missouri26$500K
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.—Wisconsin15—
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PERIMETER SOLUTIONSManufacturer of fire retardant productsDistrict of Columbia13$270K
PRIME MINUTE, INC.Aerial wildfire suppression services.California13$180K
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PRIME MINUTE, INC.Aerial wildfire suppression servicesDistrict of Columbia13$150K
10 TANKER AIR CARRIER LLCAerial firefighting service providerNew Mexico12$40K
BILLINGS FLYING SERVICEVendor and operator of rotary wing aerial fire-fighting machines.Montana12$40K
FIREHAWK HELICOPTERSClient provides aerial firefighting services to the federal government.Florida12—
UNITED AERIAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATIONindustry association for aerial firefightingDistrict of Columbia12—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS615$730K
CAPITOL COUNSEL LLC26$450K
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.15—
UNITED AERIAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION12—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
MATT GALL1615
PHIL HARDY1615
BRADLEY MOLLET126
VAUN CLEVELAND115
SAMANTHA BARNETT123
TIFFANY TAYLOR112

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.2026 first_quarter$97.4K1st Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2026 second_quarter$90K2nd Quarter - Report
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2026 second_quarter$90K2nd Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2026 first_quarter$90K1st Quarter - Report
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2026 first_quarter$90K1st Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 fourth_quarter$90K4th Quarter - Report
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2025 fourth_quarter$90K4th Quarter - Report
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 third_quarter$90K3rd Quarter - Termina…
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 second_quarter$90K2nd Quarter - Report
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.2025 third_quarter$87.7K3rd Quarter - Report
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.2025 first_quarter$86.2K1st Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PRIME MINUTE, INC.COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2026 second_quarter$60K2nd Quarter - Report
PRIME MINUTE, INC.CAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2026 second_quarter$60K2nd Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PRIME MINUTE, INC.COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2026 first_quarter$60K1st Quarter - Report
PRIME MINUTE, INC.CAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2026 first_quarter$60K1st Quarter - Report
PRIME MINUTE, INC.CAPITOL COUNSEL LLC2025 fourth_quarter$60K4th Quarter - Report
PERIMETER SOLUTIONSCOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 first_quarter$50K1st Quarter - Report
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I.2025 second_quarter$40.1K2nd Quarter - Report
CAPITOL COUNSEL, LLC ON BEHALF OF PRIME MINUTE, INC.COLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 fourth_quarter$30K4th Quarter - Report
BILLINGS FLYING SERVICECOLLECTIVE STRATEGIES & COMMUNICATIONS2025 second_quarter$20K2nd Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 956 under Armed Forces and National Security, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 4 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 956’s is Armed Forces and National Security.

hr956/policy-areas.txt
Armed Forces and National SecurityAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 956 carries 4 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Aviation and airports to Military assistance, sales, and agreements.

hr956/subjects.txt
Aviation and airportsFiresForests, forestry, treesMilitary assistance, sales, and agreements

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 956, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. NEWHOUSE:H.R. 956.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the United StatesConstitution[Page H461]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com