[House Report 118-178]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress    }                                    {        Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session      }                                    {       118-178

======================================================================



 
  NIST WILDLAND FIRE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ACT
                                _______
                                

 September 1, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Lucas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 369]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 369) to require the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct research on 
public safety communication coordination standards among 
wildland firefighters and fire management response officials, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.


                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     3
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     3
Legislative History..............................................     3
Related Committee Hearings.......................................     3
Section-by-Section...............................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     4
Roll Call Votes..................................................     4
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     6
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     6
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     6
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     6
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     6
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     6
Earmark Identification...........................................     6
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     6
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     7
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     7

    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``NIST Wildland Fire Communications and 
Information Dissemination Act''.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON WILDLAND FIRE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION 
                    DISSEMINATION.

  (a) In General.--
          (1) Public safety research.--Not later than 60 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Director, acting through 
        the head of the Public Safety and Communications Research 
        Division and in consultation with the Fire Research Division 
        and technology manufacturers, shall carry out research on the 
        following:
                  (A) Public safety communication coordination 
                standards among Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
                wildland firefighters, fire management response 
                officials, and member agencies.
                  (B) Improving and integrating existing communications 
                systems to transmit secure real-time data, alerts, and 
                advisories to and from fire management response 
                officials and wildland firefighters.
          (2) Field testing and measurement of information 
        dissemination and technology.--The Public Safety and 
        Communications Research Division, in consultation with the Fire 
        Research Division and member agencies, shall conduct both live 
        and virtual field testing of equipment, software, and other 
        technologies to determine current times of information 
        dissemination and develop standards for the delivery of useful 
        and secure real-time data among member agencies, fire 
        management response officials, and wildland firefighters, based 
        on findings from research under subsection (a).
  (b) Recommendations.--
          (1) In general.--The Director shall develop and publish 
        recommendations to improve public safety communication 
        coordination standards among wildland first responders and fire 
        management response officials.
          (2) Transmittal.--The Director shall transmit the 
        recommendations under paragraph (1) to the Office of Management 
        and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy for 
        member agencies to implement.
          (3) Reporting requirements.--
                  (A) In general.--The Director shall submit to the 
                Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
                House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
                Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
                containing the recommendations published under 
                paragraph (1).
                  (B) Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of the publication of the Director's 
                recommendations under paragraph (1), the Comptroller 
                General of the United States shall submit to the 
                Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
                House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
                Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on 
                the extent to which member agencies have implemented 
                such recommendations.
  (c) Funding.--From amounts made available to the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology, the Director shall allocate $3,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this section.
  (d) Definitions.--In this section:
          (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
          (2) Member agency.--The term ``member agency'' means a member 
        agency of the National Interagency Fire Center, including the 
        Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National 
        Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
        U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, United States 
        Fire Administration, and the Department of Defense.
          (3) Wildland firefighter.--The term ``wildland firefighter'' 
        means any person who participates in wildland firefighting 
        activities.
          (4) Fire management response officials.--The term ``fire 
        management response officials'' means regional fire directors, 
        deputy regional fire directors, agency officials who directly 
        oversee fire operations, fire management officers, and 
        individuals serving on incident management teams.
          (5) Technology manufacturers.--The term ``technology 
        manufacturers'' means private sector entities that manufacture 
        communications technologies used by Federal, State, Tribal, or 
        local wildland fire authorities.

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    H.R. 369 directs the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology's (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research 
(PSCR) Division to carry out research on public safety 
communication coordination standards to improve communications 
and information sharing efforts between first responders, fire 
management response officials and community members during 
wildland fires. It also authorizes, from amounts appropriated 
to NIST, $3 million annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 
to carry out this additional authority.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division 
at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is 
the primary federal laboratory performing research, 
development, testing, and evaluation for public safety 
communications technologies. PSCR engages directly with first 
responder communities to address the urgent need for new and 
improved technology to enhance the ability to respond to 
emergencies. Ensuring first responders can quickly and securely 
share information during a wildland fire is critical and can 
make a difference in life or death. NIST's PSCR has significant 
expertise that could greatly improve efforts to address 
coordination and response challenges facing first responders in 
preventing, detecting, and containing wildland fires.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 369 was introduced on January 17, 2023, by 
Representatives Kim (R-CA), Stansbury (D-NM), and Neguse (D-
CO). Additional cosponsors to the bill include Representatives 
Leger Fernandez (NM), Garcia (CA), and Jackson (NC).

                           SECTION-BY-SECTION

Section 1. Short title

    The short title of this legislation is ``NIST Wildland Fire 
Communications and Information Dissemination Act''.

Section 2. Research on wildland fire communications and information 
        dissemination

    This section directs NIST's PSCR, in consultation with the 
Fire Research Division, to execute a research plan on public 
safety communication coordination standards among federal, 
state, local, and tribal wildland firefighters, fire management 
response officials and the National Interagency Fire Center. It 
also directs NIST to perform field testing and measurement of 
equipment, software, and other technologies to help develop 
standards for information dissemination and provide 
recommendations for member agencies of the National Interagency 
Fire Center on how to improve communications during wildland 
fires. This section also authorizes NIST to use $3 million of 
appropriated funds annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
It also defines the terms ``Director''; ``member agency''; 
``wildland firefighter''; and ``technology manufacturer''.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On June 21, 2023, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 369, as amended, by a 
recorded vote of 30 yeas to 0 nays, a quorum being present.

                            ROLL CALL VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the 
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments 
thereto. The following reflects the record votes taken during 
the Committee consideration:

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

              APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that H.R. 369 does not relate to the 
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services 
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of 
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

  STATEMENT OF OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    Pursuant to clause (3)(c)(4) of rule XIII, the goal of H.R. 
369 is to direct the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology's (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research 
(PSCR) Division to carry out research on public safety 
communication coordination standards to improve communications 
and information sharing efforts between first responders, fire 
management response officials and community members during 
wildland fires. It also authorizes, from amounts appropriated 
to NIST, $3 million annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 
to carry out this additional authority.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that no provision of H.R. 369 establishes or reauthorizes 
a program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of 
another Federal program, including any program that was 
included in a report to Congress pursuant to section 21 of 
Public Law 111-139 or identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance.

                     FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act.

                       UNFUNDED MANDATE STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

                         EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

    Pursuant to clauses 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the 
Committee finds that H.R. 369 does not include any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits.

                        COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee 
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

           NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND 
                            TAX EXPENDITURES

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee 
finds that H.R. 369 would result in no new or increased budget 
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or 
revenues.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XII and section 402 of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for H.R. 2988 from the 
Director of the Congressional budget Office:

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


    H.R. 369 would require the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology (NIST) to research standards for coordinating 
public safety efforts among wildland firefighters, fire 
response officials, and member agencies of the National 
Interagency Fire Center. NIST also would need to research how 
to improve existing systems that facilitate communication 
between such officials and firefighters and report to the 
Congress on how to improve coordination standards among such 
groups. Finally, the bill would require the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Congress on the 
extent to which member agencies have implemented the published 
recommendations.
    The bill would allocate $3 million from amounts made 
available to NIST for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to 
implement the bill's requirements. Assuming the availability of 
appropriated funds and based on historical spending patterns 
for similar activities, CBO estimates that it would cost the 
agency $14 million over the 2024-2028 period to implement H.R. 
369. In addition, CBO estimates it would cost GAO less than 
$500,000 to complete the required report; such spending would 
be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is David Hughes. 
The estimate was reviewed by Emily Stern, Senior Adviser for 
Budget Analysis.
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                             Director, Congressional Budget Office.

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