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.
- Definition of lithium-ion batteries excludes certain cells under 49 CFR 173.185(c) and (g)(2)—scope of coverage depends on those external regulatory definitions.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Firefighters and communities gain federal training, research, and grant funding to address a real and growing fire hazard (lithium-ion battery thermal runaway). No restrictions on citizens' rights or protections; the bill expands public safety capacity without imposing costs on the public.
Who stands to gain
- fire departments and fire services (grant funding)
- firefighter training programs
- fire-safety research institutions
Named in the bill
U.S. Fire Administration, Secretary of Transportation, Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, 49 CFR 173.185, lithium-ion batteries, thermal runaway
Where it stands
- Mar 12, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 12, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,674 characters) on Aug 31, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal fire-safety grants expanded to cover lithium-ion battery fires” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr7929 Report an error
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