S. 3149 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Nov 6, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryEases funding rules for fire recovery projects
When wildfires result from controlled burns or other fire management activities on national forests, this bill lets the Department of Agriculture waive the normal requirement that local communities or organizations put up matching money to access federal recovery funds. Normally, if the federal government contributes to a project, the other side has to chip in too—but this bill says the USDA can skip that requirement for fires tied to their own management work.
How it affects you
If you live near national forests, this could mean faster recovery funding for your community after fires started by forest management activities, since local governments and organizations wouldn't have to scramble to find matching dollars first. The change applies specifically to recovery projects after fires caused by USDA's own management efforts on National Forest System land.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Nov 6, 2025)
Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive certain requirements for matching federal funds in fire recovery projects. Specifically, USDA may waive cost-sharing requirements for projects responding to fires resulting from management activities (e.g., controlled burns) conducted by USDA on National Forest System land.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 3149
A BILL
Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) · Introduced Nov 6, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Nov 6, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”