[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5293 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5293

    To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
  Interior to establish prepositioning protocols for aerial wildfire 
 suppression for early-season fine fuel wildland fires, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 6, 2026

 Mr. Ricketts introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
  Interior to establish prepositioning protocols for aerial wildfire 
 suppression for early-season fine fuel wildland fires, 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 ``Pilot for Regional Emergency 
Prepositioning of Aerial Resources and Equipment Act'' or the ``PREPARE 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PREPOSITIONING PROTOCOLS FOR AERIAL WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Deputy Chief for Fire and Aviation Management of the Forest Service, 
and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the 
Wildland Fire Service (or a successor agency), shall establish a pilot 
program for seasonal prepositioning protocols of aerial wildfire 
suppression resources for early-season fine fuel wildland fires in the 
States of Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
    (b) Requirements.--The pilot program under subsection (a) shall be 
established--
            (1) in accordance with the State's Master Cooperative 
        Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Response Agreement; 
        and
            (2) in consultation with the Rocky Mountain Area 
        Coordination Center.
    (c) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the 
        Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this section using 
        funding otherwise available for wildland fire management.
            (2) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes any 
        additional appropriations to carry out this section.
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