HR 6618 United States House · 119th Congress

Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act

HR 6618, the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act, requires the Federal Aviation Administration to study how private drones interfere with wildfire suppression efforts on federal lands managed by the Interior Department or Agriculture Department. The study will count drone incursions over the past five years and assess their impact on firefighting timelines, response delays, and government costs. It will also evaluate prevention methods like counter-drone technology, public education, and drone seizure techniques. The findings must be reported to Congress within 18 months of the bill's enactment.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

President

Introduced Dec 11, 2025 Last action Mar 25, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House → Engrossed in House · 5 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MODERATE

The Engrossed version of HR 6618 replaces informal 'drone' terminology with formal 'unmanned aircraft system' (UAS) language tied to federal law, and significantly narrows the scope of countermeasures the FAA must evaluate. The introduced version required studying aggressive options like using force to destroy drones and seizing them with nets; the engrossed version drops those in favor of evaluating only educational materials and deployment of approved counter-UAS systems by authorized entities.

DEFINITION

The informal definition of 'drone' (owned by a private individual or entity) is removed. New definitions for 'counter-UAS system' and 'unmanned aircraft system' are added, cross-referencing section 44801 of title 49 U.S.C. The term 'drone incursion' is replaced with 'unmanned aircraft system incursion.'

REQUIREMENT

The requirement to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using reasonable force to disable, damage, or destroy a drone is removed from the study contents.

The requirement to evaluate seizure of a drone, including seizure with a net device, is removed from the study contents.

The requirement to evaluate the use of counter-drone radio towers is removed from the study contents.

A new requirement is added to evaluate the deployment of approved counter-UAS systems by authorized entities as a means to detect, mitigate, and prevent unmanned aircraft system incursions during wildfire suppression operations.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 25, 2026

Committee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

upper

Mar 24, 2026

Introduced

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2654)

lower

Mar 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

lower

Mar 24, 2026

Introduced

Mr. Taylor moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 119-548.

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

lower

Dec 12, 2025

Committee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.

lower

Dec 11, 2025

Committee

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

lower

Dec 11, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors