Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2016
Public Law 114-275 · S. 3395 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 14, 2016 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Heidi Heitkamp
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2016
(Sec. 3) This bill prohibits the Forest Service from authorizing a prescribed burn (i.e., a planned fire intentionally ignited) on Forest Service land if, for the county or contiguous county in which such land is located, the national fire danger rating system is indicating an extreme fire danger level.
Nonetheless, the Forest Service may authorize a prescribed burn under such a condition if it coordinates with the applicable state government and local fire officials.
At the end of every fiscal year, the Forest Service shall submit a report that describes:
• the number and locations of prescribed burns during that fiscal year, and
• each prescribed burn during that year that was authorized by the Forest Service as an exception under this bill.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 6029Related bill
Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2016
S. 1100Related bill
Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2015
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Dec 14, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-275.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 7, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 5, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 3395.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Lucas moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 18, 2016FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
- Nov 17, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 27, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.