[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5965 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5965

 To require the Chief of the Forest Service to make the Forest Service 
   First and Second Generation Modular Airborne FireFighting System 
  (MAFFS) units available to units of the Air National Guard and Air 
  Force Reserve that have the aircraft capability and pilot and crew 
  member training adequate for utilizing such firefighting systems to 
     help alleviate the shortage of air tankers to fight wildfires.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 2012

 Mr. Gallegly introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Chief of the Forest Service to make the Forest Service 
   First and Second Generation Modular Airborne FireFighting System 
  (MAFFS) units available to units of the Air National Guard and Air 
  Force Reserve that have the aircraft capability and pilot and crew 
  member training adequate for utilizing such firefighting systems to 
     help alleviate the shortage of air tankers to fight wildfires.

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

SECTION 1. AVAILABILITY OF FOREST SERVICE FIRST AND SECOND GENERATION 
              MODULAR AIRBORNE FIREFIGHTING SYSTEMS (MAFFS) FOR AIR 
              NATIONAL GUARD AND AIR FORCE RESERVE.

    (a) First Generation MAFFS Units.--In order to help alleviate the 
shortage of air tankers to fight wildfires, the Chief of the Forest 
Service shall make the eight Forest Service First Generation Modular 
Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS I) units available, without 
compensation, to units of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve 
that have C-130H aircraft configured to contain such a MAFFS unit and 
adequate pilot and crew member training in the use of such a MAFFS 
unit.
    (b) Second Generation MAFFS Units.--
            (1) Requirement to make units available.--In order to help 
        alleviate the shortage of air tankers to fight wildfires, the 
        Chief of the Forest Service shall make the nine Forest Service 
        Second Generation Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS 
        II) units immediately available, without compensation, to units 
        of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve as follows:
                    (A) Up to two MAFFS II units will be located at the 
                Air National Guard unit in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
                    (B) Up to two MAFFS II units will be located at the 
                Air National Guard unit in Charlotte, North Carolina.
                    (C) Up to two MAFFS II units will be located at the 
                Air Force Reserve unit in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
                    (D) A minimum of three MAFFS II units will be 
                located at the Channel Islands Air National Guard Base, 
                California.
            (2) Configuration.--The MAFFS II units to be made available 
        under subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1) are 
        intended for use in MAFFS-configured C-130H aircraft. The MAFFS 
        II units to be made available under subparagraph (D) of such 
        paragraph are intended for use in MAFFS-configured C-130J 
        aircraft.
    (c) Priority for Domestic Sources of Air Tanker Support.--The Chief 
of the Forest Service may not procure air tankers to fight wildfires 
from a foreign government unless the Chief of the Forest Service 
certifies to Congress that MAFFS air tanker support available from 
units of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve--
            (1) is being fully utilized; or
            (2) is not sufficient to address wildfires on National 
        Forest System land.
    (d) Implementation Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service shall 
submit to the Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry, and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report 
describing--
            (1) how the Forest Service intends to make the MAFFS II 
        units immediately available under subsection (b); and
            (2) the process and proposed timeline to make the MAFFS I 
        units available under subsection (a).
                                 <all>