Prohibit Deactivation of the ECABs Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8820 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8820

To limit the use of certain funds for the deactivation of Expeditionary
           Combat Aviation Brigades, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2026

  Mr. Luttrell (for himself, Mr. Tran, and Mr. Crank) introduced the
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To limit the use of certain funds for the deactivation of Expeditionary
           Combat Aviation Brigades, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prohibit Deactivation of the ECABs
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR DEACTIVATION OF EXPEDITIONARY
              COMBAT AVIATION BRIGADES.

    (a) Limitation.--None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or
otherwise made available for any of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 for
the Army may be obligated or expended to retire, deactivate, schedule
to deactivate, or proceed with any other action that would reduce the
capabilities, resources, aircraft, or personnel available, as of the
date of the enactment of this Act, for the Expeditionary Combat
Aviation Brigades unless the Secretary of the Army submits to the
congressional defense committees--
            (1) a certification that the Secretary of the Army plans to
        recapitalize any such aircraft for the Expeditionary Combat
        Aviation Brigades and to otherwise restore any such
        capabilities, resources, or personnel levels reduced; and
            (2) the plan of the Secretary of the Army for the actions
        specified in paragraph (1).
    (b) Requirement To Restore.--
            (1) Requirement.--Not later than one year after the date of
        the enactment of this Act, for any Expeditionary Combat
        Aviation Brigade that, prior to such date of enactment, the
        Secretary of the Army retired or deactivated (or carried out
        any other activity to reduce the capabilities, resources,
        aircraft, or personnel thereof), the Secretary of the Army
        shall reinstate or reactivate such brigade, or otherwise
        restore such brigade to the levels preceding such reduction, as
        the case may be.
            (2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit
        to the congressional defense committees a report on the
        implementation of this subsection.
    (c) Plan Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a plan to sustain and modernize the
aircraft used by the Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Department of the Army for the operation of
aircraft, and training for such operation, by the Expeditionary Combat
Aviation Brigades $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
    (e) Congressional Defense Committees Defined.--In this section, the
term ``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.
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