HouseH.R. 8820119th Congress

Prohibit Deactivation of the ECABs Act of 2026

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[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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