119-hr4672

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4672 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4672

 To extend the break-in-service consideration for firefighter 
 retirements, and other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 23, 2025

 Mr. Harder of California (for himself and Mr. Scott Franklin of 
 Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To extend the break-in-service consideration for firefighter 
 retirements, and other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. CONTINUING ACCRUAL OF SERVICE FOR FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) Federal Employees' Retirement System.--

Section 8401

    (14) of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
 ``

    (14) the term `firefighter' means--
 ``
        (A) an employee, the duties of whose position--
 ``
            (i) are primarily to perform work 
 directly connected with the control and 
 extinguishment of nonwildland fires; and
 ``
            (ii) are sufficiently rigorous that 
 employment opportunities should be limited to 
 young and physically vigorous individuals, as 
 determined by the Director considering the 
 recommendations of the employing agency;
 ``
        (B) an employee, the duties of whose position--
 ``
            (i) are primarily to perform work 
 directly connected with the control and 
 extinguishment of wildland fires; and
 ``
            (ii) are sufficiently rigorous that 
 employment opportunities should be limited to 
 young and physically vigorous individuals, as 
 determined by the Director considering the 
 recommendations of the employing agency;
 ``
            (C) an employee who--
 ``
            (i) is transferred directly to a 
 supervisory or administrative position after 
 performing duties described in subparagraph
        (A) for at least 3 years; and
 ``
            (ii) while serving in such supervisory or 
 administrative position, has no break in 
 service; or
 ``
            (D) an employee who--
 ``
            (i) occupies a supervisory or 
 administrative position after performing duties 
 described in subparagraph
        (B) for not less than 
 3 years; and
 ``
            (ii) has not more than 24 months in total 
 time of breaks in service;''.

    (b) Service Before Date of Enactment.--

    (1) In general.--Subject to the requirements under 
 paragraph

    (2) , service performed before the date of enactment 
 of this Act by an individual who, on the date of enactment of 
 this Act, is an employee (as defined in 

section 8401

    (11) of 
 title 5, United States Code) shall, for the purposes of chapter 
 84 of title 5, United States Code, be treated as service 
 performed by a firefighter if--
        (A) such service was performed during the period 
 beginning on October 1, 2003, and ending on the day 
 before the date of enactment of this Act;
        (B) at the time of performing such service--
            (i) the individual did not meet the 
 requirements to be a firefighter under 

section 8401

    (14) of title 5, United States Code, 
 because of a break in service; and
            (ii) would have met the requirements to be 
 a firefighter under 

section 8401

    (14)
            (D) of 
 title 5, United States Code, as amended by this 
 Act; and
            (C) appropriate deductions and withholdings under 
 sections 8422 and 8423 of title 5, United States Code, 
 were made during such service.

    (2) Credit for service.--To receive credit for eligible 
 service under paragraph

    (1) , the applicable individual shall--
        (A) before the date on which the individual 
 separates from service in the agency in which the 
 individual holds a position on the date of enactment of 
 this Act, submit a written election to the agency 
 employing the individual;
        (B) if the individual is not employed by the agency 
 that employed the individual when the service described 
 in paragraph

    (1) was performed, submit a written 
 election to such agency; and
            (C) remit to the agency that employed the 
 individual when such service was performed the 
 additional amount that would have been deducted during 
 the period of prior service under 

section 8422 of title 
 5, United States Code, from the pay of the individual 
 if the amendments made by subsection

    (a) had been in 
 effect during the prior service, plus any applicable 
 interest computed under 

section 8334

    (e) of title 5, 
 United States Code.

    (3) Government contributions.--If an individual remits 
 payment under paragraph

    (2)
            (C) with respect to service 
 described in paragraph

    (1) , the agency that employed the 
 individual when such service was performed shall remit to the 
 Office of Personnel Management (for deposit in the Treasury of 
 the United States to the credit of the Civil Service Retirement 
 and Disability Fund) the total additional amount of Federal 
 contributions that would have been paid under 

section 8423 of 
 title 5, United States Code, if the amendments made by 
 subsection

    (a) had been in effect during the prior service, 
 plus any applicable interest computed in accordance with 
 

section 8334

    (e) of title 5, United States Code.

    (4) Notification and assistance requirements.--The Director 
 of the Office of Personnel Management shall--
        (A) take such action as may be necessary and 
 appropriate to inform individuals entitled to have any 
 service credited under this subsection, or to have any 
 annuity computed under this subsection, of the 
 entitlement to the credit or computation; and
        (B) upon request, assist any individual described 
 in subparagraph
        (A) in obtaining such information in 
 the possession of the Secretary of Agriculture or the 
 Secretary of the Interior, as applicable, as may be 
 necessary to verify the entitlement of the individual 
 to have any service credited, or to have any annuity 
 computed, pursuant to this subsection.

    (5) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
 construed to permit or require the making of any contribution 
 to the Thrift Savings Fund that would not otherwise have been 
 permitted or required but for the enactment of this section.
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