Requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish first responder guidelines for fighting EV and hybrid battery fires within 1 year of issuing the final rule.
Require the Transportation Department to issue first responder guidelines for fighting EV and hybrid battery fires.
Occurrences
Evidence
Sponsor: Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (Introduced 01/06/2026). Latest Action: House - 01/06/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This bill has the status Introduced.
The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate a final standard that includes 'first responder access technology' and to publish guidance on responding to fire incidents involving batteries used in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles to be used as the basis for training firefighters.
The press release says the bill 'requires the Secretary of Transportation to publish first responder guidelines for fighting EV and hybrid battery fires within 1 year of issuing the final rule.'
Assessments
Latimer introduced H.R. 6948 in the 119th Congress, and the bill text directly includes the promised requirement for the Transportation Department to publish first responder guidance for EV and hybrid battery fires. However, the evidence shows the bill was only introduced and referred to committee, with no passage, enactment, final DOT rule, or published guidelines. This is a serious legislative attempt but not a delivered policy outcome.