[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4235 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>





                                                 Union Calendar No. 747
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4235

                      [Report No. 118-914, Part I]

    To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
Interior to establish a wildfire technology testbed pilot program, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 21, 2023

   Mrs. Kim of California (for herself and Mr. Crow) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
   Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 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

                           December 18, 2024

 Additional sponsors: Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer, Mr. Moylan, Mr. Lawler, Mr. 
Lamborn, Mr. Duarte, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Issa, Mr. Harder of 
                  California, Mr. Costa, and Mr. Case

                           December 18, 2024

   Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

                           December 18, 2024

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
    Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 
                               21, 2023]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
Interior to establish a wildfire technology testbed pilot program, and 
                          for other purposes.


 


    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wildfire Technology Demonstration, 
Evaluation, Modernization, and Optimization Act'' or the ``Wildfire 
Technology DEMO Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC-PRIVATE WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY TESTBED PARTNERSHIP.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act, the term:
            (1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means--
                    (A) each Federal land management agency (as such 
                term is defined in the Federal Lands Recreation 
                Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801));
                    (B) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration;
                    (C) the United States Fire Administration;
                    (D) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
                    (E) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration;
                    (F) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
                    (G) the Department of Defense;
                    (H) a State, Tribal, county, or municipal fire 
                department or district operating through the United 
                States Fire Administration or pursuant to an agreement 
                with a Federal agency; and
                    (I) any other Federal agency involved in wildfire 
                response.
            (2) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means--
                    (A) a private entity;
                    (B) a nonprofit organization; or
                    (C) an institution of higher education (as defined 
                in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 1001)).
            (3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
        Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, 
        acting jointly.
            (4) Testbed pilot program.--The term ``Testbed Pilot 
        Program'' means the testbed pilot program developed under 
        subsection (b).
    (b) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordination with the heads 
of the covered agencies, shall establish a testbed pilot program for 
new and innovative wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and 
mitigation technologies.
    (c) Functions.--In carrying out the Testbed Pilot Program, the 
Secretaries shall--
            (1) incorporate the Testbed Pilot Program into the National 
        Wildfire Coordinating Group;
            (2) in consultation with the heads of covered agencies, 
        identify key technology priority areas with respect to the 
        deployment of wildfire prevention, detection, communication, 
        and mitigation technologies, including--
                    (A) hazardous fuels reduction treatments or 
                activities;
                    (B) dispatch communications;
                    (C) remote sensing and tracking;
                    (D) safety equipment; and
                    (E) common operating pictures or operational 
                dashboards; and
            (3) partner with each covered entity selected to 
        participate in the Testbed Pilot Program with the appropriate 
        covered agency to coordinate real-time and on-the-ground 
        testing of technology during wildland fire mitigation 
        activities and training.
    (d) Applications.--To participate in the Testbed Pilot Program, a 
covered entity shall submit to the Secretaries an application at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretaries may require, which shall include a proposal to test 
technologies specific to key technology priority areas identified under 
subsection (c)(2).
    (e) Prioritization of Emerging Technologies.--In selecting covered 
entities to participate in the Testbed Pilot Program, the Secretaries 
shall give priority to covered entities developing and applying 
emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum 
sensing, computing and quantum-hybrid applications, augmented reality, 
and 5G private networks and device-to-device communications supporting 
nomadic mesh networks, for wildfire mitigation.
    (f) Outreach.--The Secretaries, in coordination with the heads of 
covered agencies, shall make public the key technology priority areas 
identified under subsection (c)(2) and invite covered entities to apply 
to test and demonstrate their technologies to address those priority 
areas.
    (g) Reports and Recommendations.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter for the 
duration of the Testbed Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall submit to 
the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committees on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Energy and Natural Resources, and 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 
includes the following with respect to the Testbed Pilot Program:
            (1) A list of participating covered entities.
            (2) A brief description of the technologies tested by such 
        covered entities.
            (3) An estimate of the cost of acquiring the technology 
        tested in the program and applying it at scale.
            (4) Outreach efforts by Federal agencies to covered 
        entities developing wildfire technologies.
            (5) Assessments of, and recommendations relating to, new 
        technologies with potential adoption and application at-scale 
        in Federal land management agencies' wildfire prevention, 
        detection, communication, and mitigation efforts.
    (h) Sunset.--The authority to carry out the Testbed Pilot Program 
shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 747

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4235

                      [Report No. 118-914, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
Interior to establish a wildfire technology testbed pilot program, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 18, 2024

   Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment

                           December 18, 2024

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
    Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed