The record

LegislationLegislation· Mar 2026
HR 6618 Passed House — in Senate

Sponsored by Janelle S. Bynum (D)

Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act

Orders the FAA to study how drones interfere with wildfire suppression on federal lands.

Tradeoff

Requires a federal study on drone incursions during wildfire response, with no stated cost or funding offset in the bill text.

What's in it

See official bill text

Costs less than $500,000 over 2026-2030 period, subject to .

The $500,000 is the federal cost to prepare and deliver a Congressional report on drone operations and wildfire suppression—the policy itself imposes no direct costs on regulated parties, only a requirement to study and report the issue.

H.R. 6618, Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act · Feb 2026

Passed the House by on March 24, 2026 — sitting in the Senate.

  1. House

    Introduced

    (Dec 11, 2025)

  2. House

    Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure(Dec 11, 2025)

  3. House

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted to send it to the floor

    Reported by (Jan 21, 2026)

    Committee report H. Rept. 119-548.

  4. House

    Passage of the bill

    Passed by (Mar 24, 2026)

    No individual votes were recorded.

  5. Senate

    Received from the House

    on Commerce, Science, and Transportation(Mar 25, 2026)