Federal fire-safety grants expanded to cover lithium-ion battery fires
H.R. 7929 — FLARE Act · Filed by Dina Titus (D-NV) · Introduced Mar 12, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act to add lithium-ion batteries and thermal runaway (uncontrolled overheating) to the list of fire hazards that the U.S. Fire Administration can provide training, research, and grant funding to address. It directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations for safe transport of lithium-ion cells and batteries, and expands federal fire-safety grant programs to include suppression of fires caused by battery thermal runaway.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to expand federal fire-safety authority and grant funding to address lithium-ion battery fires—a straightforward public-safety measure with no private carve-outs or immunity provisions.
What the text implies
- Expansion of USFA grant authority may increase federal spending on fire-safety programs; actual cost depends on appropriations not specified in the bill.
- Regulatory authority granted to Secretary of Transportation (not USFA) for lithium-ion transport safety; coordination between agencies may be needed to avoid gaps or conflicts.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
fire departments and fire services (grant funding); firefighter training programs; fire-safety research institutions