119-hr743

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 743 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 743

 To reform and enhance the pay and benefits of Federal wildland 
 firefighters, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 28, 2025

Mr. Neguse (for himself, Mr. Harder of California, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. 
 Pettersen, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Ms. 
 Brownley, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Levin) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
 and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
 jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To reform and enhance the pay and benefits of Federal wildland 
 firefighters, 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; DEFINITIONS; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Tim Hart Wildland 
Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act'' or ``Tim's Act''.

    (b) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this Act:

    (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
 the Office of Personnel Management.

    (2) Federal wildland firefighter.--The term ``Federal 
 wildland firefighter'' means any temporary, seasonal, or 
 permanent position at the Department of Agriculture or the 
 Department of the Interior, and Tribal Firefighters, that 
 maintains group, emergency incident management, or fire 
 qualifications, as established annually by the Standards for 
 Wildland Fire Position Qualifications published by the National 
 Wildfire Coordinating Group, and primarily engages in or 
 supports wildland fire management activities, including 
 forestry and rangeland technicians and positions concerning 
 aviation, engineering heavy equipment operations, dispatch, or 
 fire and fuels management.

    (3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
 Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior.
            (c) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; definitions; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Special base rates of pay for wildland firefighters.

Sec. 3. Wildland fire incident response premium pay.

Sec. 4. Special limitations on pay for wildland firefighters.

Sec. 5. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland 
 firefighting.

Sec. 6. Health provisions.

Sec. 7. Retirement for firefighters.

Sec. 8. Pay parity for Federal structural firefighters.

Sec. 9. Pay adjustments and other matters.

Sec. 10. Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program.

Sec. 11. Continuing accrual of service for Firefighters.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL BASE RATES OF PAY FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after 

section 5332 the following:
``

Sec. 5332a. Special base rates of pay for wildland firefighters
 ``

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section--
 ``

    (1) the term `firefighter' means an employee who--
 ``
        (A) is a firefighter within the meaning of 
 

section 8331

    (21) or 

section 8401

    (14) ;
 ``
        (B) in the case of an employee who holds a 
 supervisory or administrative position and is subject 
 to subchapter III of chapter 83, but who does not 
 qualify to be considered a firefighter within the 
 meaning of 

section 8331

    (21) , would otherwise qualify if 
 the employee had transferred directly to that position 
 after serving as a firefighter within the meaning of 
 that section;
 ``
            (C) in the case of an employee who holds a 
 supervisory or administrative position and is subject 
 to chapter 84, but who does not qualify to be 
 considered a firefighter within the meaning of 

section 8401

    (14) , would otherwise qualify if the employee had 
 transferred directly to that position after performing 
 duties described in 

section 8401

    (14)
        (A) for at least 3 
 years; or
 ``
            (D) in the case of an employee who is not subject 
 to subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84, holds a 
 position that the Office of Personnel Management 
 determines would satisfy subparagraph
        (A) ,
        (B) , or
            (C) if the employee were subject to subchapter III of 
 chapter 83 or chapter 84;
 ``

    (2) the term `General Schedule base rate' means an annual 
 rate of basic pay established under 

section 5332 before any 
 additions, such as a locality-based comparability payment under 
 

section 5304 or 5304a or a special rate supplement under 
 

section 5305;
 ``

    (3) the term `special base rate' means an annual rate of 
 basic pay payable to a wildland firefighter, before any 
 additions or reductions, that replaces the General Schedule 
 base rate otherwise applicable to the wildland firefighter and 
 that is administered in the same manner as a General Schedule 
 base rate; and
 ``

    (4) the term `wildland firefighter' means any temporary, 
 seasonal, or permanent position at the Department of 
 Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, or Tribal 
 Firefighters, that maintains group, emergency incident 
 management, or fire qualifications, as established annually by 
 the Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications 
 published by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and 
 primarily engages in or supports wildland fire management 
 activities, including forestry and rangeland technicians and 
 positions concerning aviation, engineering heavy equipment 
 operations, dispatch, training, development and technology, or 
 fire and fuels management.
 ``

    (b) Special Base Rates of Pay.--
 ``

    (1) Entitlement to special rate.--Notwithstanding 

section 5332, a wildland firefighter is entitled to a special base rate 
 at grades 1 through 15, which shall--
 ``
        (A) replace the otherwise applicable General 
 Schedule base rate for the wildland firefighter;
 ``
        (B) be basic pay for all purposes, including the 
 purpose of computing a locality-based comparability 
 payment under 

section 5304 or 5304a; and
 ``
            (C) be computed as described in paragraph

    (2) and 
 adjusted at the time of adjustments in the General 
 Schedule.
 ``

    (2) Computation.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The special base rate for a 
 wildland firefighter shall be derived by increasing the 
 otherwise applicable General Schedule base rate for the 
 wildland firefighter by the following applicable 
 percentage for the grade of the wildland firefighter 
 and rounding the result to the nearest whole dollar:
 ``
            (i) For GS-1, 42 percent.
 ``
            (ii) For GS-2, 39 percent.
 ``
            (iii) For GS-3, 36 percent.
 ``
            (iv) For GS-4, 33 percent.
 ``
            (v) For GS-5, 30 percent.
 ``
            (vi) For GS-6, 27 percent.
 ``
            (vii) For GS-7, 24 percent.
 ``
            (viii) For GS-8, 21 percent.
 ``
            (ix) For GS-9, 18 percent.
 ``
            (x) For GS-10, 15 percent.
 ``
            (xi) For GS-11, 12 percent.
 ``
            (xii) For GS-12, 9 percent.
 ``
            (xiii) For GS-13, 6 percent.
 ``
            (xiv) For GS-14, 3 percent.
 ``
            (xv) For GS-15, 1.5 percent.
 ``
        (B) Hourly, daily, weekly, or biweekly rates.--
 When the special base rate with respect to a wildland 
 firefighter is expressed as an hourly, daily, weekly, 
 or biweekly rate, the special base rate shall be 
 computed from the appropriate annual rate of basic pay 
 derived under subparagraph
        (A) in accordance with the 
 rules under 

section 5504

    (b) .''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter III 
of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to 

section 5332 the following:

``5332a. Special base rates of pay for wildland firefighters.''.
            (c) Prevailing Rate Employees.--

Section 5343 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (g)

    (1) For a prevailing rate employee described in 

section 5342

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) who is a wildland firefighter, as defined in 

section 5332a

    (a) , the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior 
(as applicable) shall increase the wage rates of that employee by an 
amount (determined at the sole and exclusive discretion of the 
applicable Secretary after consultation with the other Secretary) that 
is generally consistent with the percentage increases given to wildland 
firefighters in the General Schedule under 

section 5332a.
 ``

    (2) An increased wage rate under paragraph

    (1) shall be basic pay 
for the same purposes as the wage rate otherwise established under this 
section.
 ``

    (3) An increase under this subsection may not cause the wage rate 
of an employee to increase to a rate that would produce an annualized 
rate in excess of the annual rate for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule.''.
            (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning 
after the last day of the last pay period for which Federal wildland 
firefighter temporary salary increases were in effect, as originally 
authorized under 

section 40803
            (d) (4)
        (B) of the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592
            (d) (4)
        (B) ) and as extended under 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-42; 138 Stat. 
25), the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (division A of Public Law 
118-83; 138 Stat. 1524), and the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 
2025 (division A of Public Law 118-158).

SEC. 3. WILDLAND FIRE INCIDENT RESPONSE PREMIUM PAY.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter V of chapter 55 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after 

section 5545b the following:
``

Sec. 5545c. Incident response premium pay for employees engaged in 
 wildland firefighting
 ``

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section--
 ``

    (1) the term `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
 ``
        (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
 Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
 ``
        (B) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
 of the Senate;
 ``
            (C) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
 Forestry of the Senate;
 ``
            (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
 Senate;
 ``
        (E) the Committee on Oversight and Government 
 Reform;
 ``
        (F) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
 Representatives;
 ``
        (G) the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
 House of Representatives; and
 ``
        (H) the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
 of Representatives;
 ``

    (2) the term `covered employee' means an employee of the 
 Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who is--
 ``
        (A) a wildland firefighter, as defined in 

section 5332a

    (a) ; or
 ``
        (B) certified by the applicable agency to perform 
 wildland fire incident-related duties during the period 
 that employee is deployed to respond to a qualifying 
 incident;
 ``

    (3) the term `incident response premium pay' means pay to 
 which a covered employee is entitled under subsection
            (c) ;
 ``

    (4) the term `prescribed fire incident' means a wildland 
 fire originating from a planned ignition in accordance with 
 applicable laws, policies, and regulations to meet specific 
 objectives;
 ``

    (5) the term `qualifying incident'--
 ``
        (A) means--
 ``
            (i) a wildfire incident, a prescribed 
 fire incident, or a severity incident; or
 ``
            (ii) an incident that the Secretary of 
 Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior 
 determines is similar in nature to an incident 
 described in clause
            (i) ; and
 ``
        (B) does not include an initial response 
 (including an initial attack fire) in which a wildfire 
 is contained within 36 hours; and
 ``

    (6) the term `severity incident' means an incident in 
 which a covered employee is pre-positioned in an area in which 
 conditions indicate there is a high risk of wildfires.
 ``

    (b) Eligibility.--A covered employee is eligible for incident 
response premium pay under this section if--
 ``

    (1) the covered employee is deployed to respond to a 
 qualifying incident; and
 ``

    (2) the deployment described in paragraph

    (1) is--
 ``
        (A) outside of the official duty station of the 
 covered employee; or
 ``
        (B) within the official duty station of the 
 covered employee and the covered employee is assigned 
 to an incident-adjacent fire camp or other designated 
 field location.
 ``
            (c) Entitlement to Incident Response Premium Pay.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--A covered employee who satisfies the 
 conditions under subsection

    (b) is entitled to premium pay for 
 the period in which the covered employee is deployed to respond 
 to the applicable qualifying incident.
 ``

    (2) Computation.--
 ``
        (A) Formula.--Subject to subparagraphs
        (B) and
            (C) , premium pay under paragraph

    (1) shall be paid to a 
 covered employee at a daily rate of 450 percent of the 
 hourly rate of basic pay of the covered employee for 
 each day that the covered employee satisfies the 
 requirements under subsection

    (b) , rounded to the 
 nearest whole cent.
 ``
        (B) Limitation.--Premium pay under this 
 subsection--
 ``
            (i) with respect to a covered employee 
 for whom the annual rate of basic pay is 
 greater than that for step 10 of GS-10, shall 
 be paid at the daily rate established under 
 subparagraph
        (A) for the applicable rate for 
 step 10 of GS-10 (where the applicable rate is 
 the rate in effect in the same locality that is 
 the basis for a locality-based comparability 
 payment payable to the covered employee under 
 

section 5304); and
 ``
            (ii) may not be paid to a covered 
 employee in a total amount that exceeds $9,000 
 in any calendar year.
 ``
            (C) Adjustments.--
 ``
            (i) Assessment.--The Secretary of 
 Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 
 shall assess the difference between the average 
 total amount of compensation that was paid to 
 covered employees, by grade, in fiscal years 
 2023 and 2024.
 ``
            (ii) Report.--Not later than 180 days 
 after the date that is 1 year after the 
 effective date of this section, the Secretary 
 of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
 Interior shall jointly publish a report on the 
 results of the assessment conducted under 
 clause
            (i) .
 ``
            (iii) Administrative actions.--After 
 publishing the report required under clause
            (ii) , the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
 Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with 
 the Director of the Office of Personnel 
 Management, may, in the sole and exclusive 
 discretion of the Secretaries acting jointly, 
 administratively adjust the amount of premium 
 pay paid under this subsection (or take other 
 administrative action) to ensure that the 
 average annual amount of total compensation 
 paid to covered employees, by grade, is more 
 consistent with such amount that was paid to 
 those employees in fiscal year 2023.
 ``
            (iv) Congressional notification.--Not 
 later than 3 days after an adjustment made, or 
 other administrative action taken, under clause
            (iii) becomes final, the Secretary of 
 Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 
 shall jointly submit to the appropriate 
 committees of Congress a notification regarding 
 that adjustment or other administrative action, 
 as applicable.
 ``
            (d) Treatment of Incident Response Premium Pay.--Incident 
response premium pay under this section--
 ``

    (1) is not considered part of the basic pay of a covered 
 employee for any purpose;
 ``

    (2) may not be considered in determining the lump-sum 
 payment of a covered employee for accumulated and accrued 
 annual leave under 

section 5551 or 

section 5552;
 ``

    (3) may not be used in determining pay under 

section 8114;
 ``

    (4) may not be considered in determining pay for hours of 
 paid leave or other paid time off during which the premium pay 
 is not payable; and
 ``

    (5) shall be disregarded in determining the minimum wage 
 and overtime pay to which a covered employee is entitled under 
 the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et 
 seq.).''.

    (b) Additional Premium Pay Amendments.--Subchapter V of chapter 55 
of title 5, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) in 

section 5544--
        (A) by amending the section heading to read as 
 follows: ``wage-board overtime, sunday rates, and other 
 premium pay''; and
        (B) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (d) A prevailing rate employee described in 

section 5342

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) shall receive incident response premium pay under the same terms and 
conditions that apply to a covered employee under 

section 5545c if that 
employee--
 ``

    (1) is employed by the Forest Service or the Department 
 of the Interior; and
 ``

    (2)
        (A) is a wildland firefighter, as defined in 

section 5332a

    (a) ; or
 ``
        (B) is certified by the applicable agency to perform 
 wildland fire incident-related duties during the period the 
 employee is deployed to respond to a qualifying incident (as 
 defined in 

section 5545c

    (a) ).''; and

    (2) in 

section 5547

    (a) , in the matter preceding paragraph

    (1) , by inserting ``5545c,'' after ``5545a,''.
            (c) Clerical Amendments.--The table of sections for subchapter V of 
chapter 55 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) by amending the item relating to 

section 5544 to read 
 as follows:

``5544. Wage-board overtime, Sunday rates, and other premium pay.'';
and

    (2) by inserting after the item relating to 

section 5545b 
 the following:

``5545c. Incident response premium pay for employees engaged in 
 wildland firefighting.''.
            (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning 
after the last day of the last pay period for which Federal wildland 
firefighter temporary salary increases were in effect, as originally 
authorized under 

section 40803
            (d) (4)
        (B) of the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592
            (d) (4)
        (B) ) and as extended under 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-42; 138 Stat. 
25), the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (division A of Public Law 
118-83; 138 Stat. 1524), and the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 
2025 (division A of Public Law 118-158).

SEC. 4. SPECIAL LIMITATIONS ON PAY FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) In General.--Title 5, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) by inserting after 

section 5547 the following:
``

Sec. 5547a. Special limitations on premium pay for employees engaged 
 in wildland firefighting
 ``

    (a) In this section--
 ``

    (1) the term `covered employee' means an employee of the 
 Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who--
 ``
        (A) qualifies as a wildland firefighter based on 
 the definitions of `firefighter' and `wildland 
 firefighter' in 

section 5332a

    (a) ; or
 ``
        (B) is certified by the applicable agency to 
 perform wildland fire incident related duties during 
 the period such employee is assigned to a qualifying 
 incident;
 ``

    (2) the term `covered services' means services performed 
 by an employee that are determined by the Secretary of the 
 Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, to 
 primarily involve emergency wildfire suppression activities, 
 including any periods of duty when the employee is sleeping or 
 resting during an extended period of deployment to engage in 
 those activities;
 ``

    (3) the term `emergency wildland fire suppression 
 activities' means initial-response and extended-response 
 activities that directly relate to suppression of a wildfire, 
 including activities associated with a severity incident but 
 excluding activities associated with a prescribed fire incident 
 (as those terms are defined 

section 5545c); and
 ``

    (4) the term `premium pay' means the premium pay paid 
 under the provisions of law cited in 

section 5547

    (a) , except as 
 otherwise provided in subsection

    (h) .
 ``

    (b) Any premium pay earned by a covered employee for covered 
services shall be disregarded in calculating the aggregate of such 
employee's basic pay and premium pay for purposes of applying a 
limitation under 

section 5547.
 ``
            (c) Any premium pay that is disregarded under subsection

    (b) shall be disregarded in calculating such employee's aggregate pay for 
purposes of applying the limitation in 

section 5307.
 ``
            (d) Pay that is disregarded under subsection

    (b) may not be paid 
to the extent it would cause the aggregate of the employee's basic pay, 
premium pay, and hazard pay under 

section 5545
            (d) payable in the 
applicable calendar year to exceed the rate of basic pay payable for a 
position at level II of the Executive Schedule under 

section 5313, as 
in effect at the end of such calendar year. Any premium pay that is 
subject to a biweekly limitation under 

section 5547
            (c) must be paid 
first before other premium pay in applying the level II limitation.
 ``

    (e) Application of the limit in subsection
            (d) or subsection

    (h) to a covered employee may be waived at the sole and exclusive 
discretion of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of 
Agriculture, as applicable. Before authorizing such a waiver for 
employees of their respective agencies, each Secretary, after 
consulting with the other Secretary, shall prescribe criteria that will 
be applied in making a determination to grant a waiver.
 ``

    (f) Any additional pay resulting from application of this section 
may not be used in computing a lump-sum payment for accumulated and 
accrued annual leave under 

section 5551 or 

section 5552.
 ``

    (g) The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture shall 
maintain records that document uses of the authority provided by this 
section.
 ``

    (h)

    (1) For prevailing rate employees described in 

section 5342

    (a)

    (2)
        (A) who meet the requirements in subsection

    (a)
            (l) to qualify 
as a covered employee, premium pay may not be paid to the extent it 
would cause the aggregate of the employee's basic pay and premium pay 
in the applicable calendar year to exceed the rate of basic pay payable 
for a position at level II of the Executive Schedule under 

section 5313, as in effect at the end of such calendar year.
 ``

    (2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term `basic pay' 
means wages, environmental differential pay, and night shift 
differential pay, and the term `premium pay' means overtime pay, Sunday 
premium pay, and holiday premium pay.''; and

    (2) in 

section 5541

    (2)
            (xi) , by inserting ``, 

section 5547a

    (h) ,'' after ``

section 5544''.

    (b) Calendar Year 2025.--For the purpose of applying 

section 5547 
and 

section 1701 of division B of Public Law 117-43 (5 U.S.C. 5547 
note) in calendar year 2025, incident standby premium pay shall be 
included in premium pay that is subject to the limits established in 
those sections.
            (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection

    (a) shall 
take effect on the first day of the first pay period that has a payment 
date in January 2026. Subsection

    (b) shall be effective on the first 
day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after October 1, 
2025.
            (d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 55 of 
title 5, United States Code, is further amended by inserting after the 
item for 

section 5547 the following new item:

``5547a. Special limitations on premium pay for employees engaged in 
 wildland firefighting.''.

SEC. 5. REST AND RECUPERATION LEAVE FOR EMPLOYEES ENGAGED IN WILDLAND 
 FIREFIGHTING.

    (a) In General.--Title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after 

section 6329d the following:
``

Sec. 6329e. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in 
 wildland firefighting
 ``

    (a) In this section--
 ``

    (1) the term `applicable Secretary' means the Secretary 
 of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior;
 ``

    (2) the term `covered employee' means an employee of the 
 Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who--
 ``
        (A) qualifies as a `wildland firefighter' based 
 on the definitions of `firefighter' and `wildland 
 firefighter' in 

section 5332a

    (a) (applying the 
 definition of `employee' in 

section 6301

    (2) in lieu of 
 the definition of `employee' in 

section 5331

    (a) ); or
 ``
        (B) is certified by the applicable agency to 
 perform wildland fire incident related duties during 
 the period such employee is assigned to a qualifying 
 incident; and
 ``

    (3) the term `qualifying incident' has the meaning given 
 that term in 

section 5545c

    (a)

    (5) .
 ``

    (b) A covered employee may receive paid rest and recuperation 
leave following the completion of service under a qualifying incident, 
subject to policies established at the sole and exclusive discretion of 
the Secretary of the Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as 
applicable. Each Secretary shall prescribe such policies after 
consulting with the other Secretary.
 ``
            (c) Rest and recuperation leave granted under this section shall 
be used during scheduled hours within the covered employee's tour of 
duty established for leave-charging purposes and shall be paid in the 
same manner as annual leave. Rest and recuperation leave must be used 
immediately after a qualifying incident and may not be set aside for 
later use. A covered employee may not receive any payment for unused 
rest and recuperation leave.
 ``
            (d) A covered employee with an intermittent work schedule shall 
be excused from duty during the same period of time that other covered 
employees in the same circumstances are entitled to rest and 
recuperation leave and shall receive a payment as if the covered 
employee with an intermittent work schedule were entitled to rest and 
recuperation leave under subsections

    (b) and
            (c) .''.

    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection

    (a) shall be 
effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning 
on or after October 1, 2025.
            (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter II of 
chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to 

section 6329d the following new item:

``6329e. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland 
 firefighting.''.

SEC. 6. HEALTH PROVISIONS.

    (a) Database; Recommendations.--Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall--

    (1) establish and maintain a publicly accessible, 
 searchable database on a website, to be called the ``Federal 
 Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease 
 Database'', to track chronic disease caused by on-the-job 
 environmental exposure over the lifetimes of current and former 
 Federal wildland firefighters;

    (2) update such database not less than on a yearly basis; 
 and

    (3) develop and adhere to recommendations on mitigation 
 strategies to minimize exposure to environmental hazards for 
 Federal wildland firefighters.

    (b) Mental Health.--

    (1) Mental health program.--Not later than January 1, 2026, 
 the Secretaries shall establish and carry out a program for 
 Federal wildland firefighters for mental health awareness and 
 support. Such program shall include the following:
        (A) A mental health awareness campaign.
        (B) A mental health education and training program 
 that includes an on-boarding curriculum.
            (C) An extensive peer-to-peer mental health support 
 network for Federal wildland firefighters and their 
 immediate family.
            (D) Expansion of the Critical Incident Stress 
 Management Program, to develop and retain a larger pool 
 of qualified mental health professionals who are 
 familiar with the experiences of the emergency response 
 workforce. The Program shall monitor and track mental 
 health in the profession to better understand the scope 
 of the issue and provide ongoing assistance and 
 professional long-term care to patients.
        (E) Establish and carry out a new and distinct 
 mental health support service specific to Federal 
 wildland firefighters and their immediate family, with 
 culturally relevant and trauma informed mental health 
 professionals who are readily available, and not 
 subject to any limit on the number of sessions or 
 service provided.

    (2) Mental health leave.--Each Federal wildland firefighter 
 shall be entitled to 7 consecutive days of leave, without loss 
 or reduction in pay, during any calendar year. Leave provided 
 under this paragraph shall not--
        (A) accumulate for use in succeeding years; and
        (B) be considered to be annual or vacation leave 
 for purposes of 

section 5551 or 5552 of title 5, United 
 States Code, or for any other purpose.
            (c) Coordination.--In carrying out subsections

    (a) and

    (b) , the 
Secretaries may enter into partnerships or cooperative agreements with 
other Federal agencies, universities, or non-profit institutions.
            (d) OWCP.--The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs within the 
Department of Labor shall--

    (1) recognize post-traumatic stress disorder and 
 psychological stress-related injuries or illnesses correlated 
 to fire protection, suppression, and incident support 
 activities, and ensure long-term coverage for the duration of 
 the illnesses; and

    (2) expand the Special Claims Unit to ensure adequate unit 
 staffing levels are sufficient to expedite the claims process 
 and shorten response times to wildland firefighter and incident 
 support personnel injured or effected on the job in order to 
 alleviate the psychological and financial burdens placed on the 
 patient and their families.

SEC. 7. RETIREMENT FOR FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) Deposit Service.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
any service performed by an individual as a Federal wildland 
firefighter on or after January 1, 1989, for which retirement 
deductions under chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, have not 
been made shall be creditable under such chapter, but only if such 
firefighter--

    (1) submits a written election to the Director; and

    (2) the deposit requirements of 

section 8411

    (f) of such 
 title had been met with respect to such service.

    (b) Disability Annuity.--Beginning on the date of enactment of this 
Act, any Federal wildland firefighter who suffers from a disease 
described in 

section 8143b

    (b)

    (2) of title 5, United States Code, due to 
environmental job-related exposure, including smoke inhalation, 
silicate inhalation, and firefighting toxic exposure, shall be 
considered to be disabled for purposes of 

section 8451 of such title. 
Such 

section 8451 shall be applied to any such firefighter by 
substituting ``12 months'' for ``18 months''.
            (c) Including Overtime as Basic Pay.--

Section 8331

    (3) of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended--

    (1) in subparagraph
        (H) , by striking ``and'' at the end;

    (2) in subparagraph
            (I) , by inserting ``and'' after the 
 semicolon;

    (3) by inserting after subparagraph
            (I) the following:
 ``
        (J) with respect to a Federal wildland 
 firefighter (as that term is defined in 

section 1

    (b) of 
 the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and 
 Pay Parity Act), overtime pay received on or after the 
 date of enactment of this subparagraph;''; and

    (4) in the undesignated matter following subparagraph
        (J) (as added by paragraph

    (3) ), by striking ``subparagraphs
        (B) through
            (I) of this paragraph'' and inserting ``subparagraphs
        (B) through
        (J) of this paragraph,''.
            (d) Separate Normal-Cost Percentage.--

Section 8423

    (a)

    (1)
        (B)
            (i) of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
``firefighters,'' the following: ``Federal wildland firefighter (as 
that term is defined in 

section 1 of the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter 
Classification and Pay Parity Act),''.

SEC. 8. PAY PARITY FOR FEDERAL STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, any pay, benefits, and bonuses provided to any Federal 
structural firefighter shall be comparable with the pay, benefits, and 
bonuses provided for Federal wildland firefighters under this Act and 
the amendments made by this Act. Not later than 1 year after the date 
the pay scale is established under 

section 5332a of title 5, United 
States Code, as added by 

section 2 of this Act, the Director shall 
submit a report to Congress on whether pay for such Federal structural 
firefighters is competitive with Federal wildland firefighters.

    (b) Federal Structural Firefighter Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``Federal structural firefighter''--

    (1) has the meaning given the term ``firefighter'' in 
 

section 8401 of chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code; and

    (2) does not include any Federal wildland firefighter.

SEC. 9. PAY ADJUSTMENTS AND OTHER MATTERS.

    (a) Annual Adjustments.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, beginning in the first pay period beginning on or after the date 
that the pay scale is established under 

section 5332a of title 5, 
United States Code, as added by 

section 2 of this Act, and annually 
thereafter, the basic rate of pay for each Federal wildland firefighter 
occupying a position within such pay scale shall be increased by not 
less than the percentage equal to the percent change in the Consumer 
Price Index (all items--United States city average), published monthly 
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for December of the preceding year 
over such Consumer Price Index for the December of the year prior to 
the preceding year, adjusted to the nearest one-tenth of 1 percent.

    (b) Compensation Comparable to Non-Federal Firefighters.--Not later 
than 1 year after the date the pay scale is established under 

section 5332a of title 5, United States Code, as added by 

section 2 of this 
Act, the Secretaries shall submit a report to Congress on whether pay, 
benefits, and bonuses provided to Federal wildland firefighters are 
comparable to the pay, benefits, and bonuses provided for non-Federal 
firefighters in the State or locality where Federal wildland 
firefighters are based.
            (c) Hazardous Duty Pay.--Each Federal wildland firefighter carrying 
out work completed during prescribed fire, parachuting, tree climbing 
over 20 feet, hazard tree removal, and other hazardous work as 
identified by the Secretaries, shall be entitled to be paid the 
appropriate differential under 

section 5545
            (d) of title 5, United 
States Code, as if such employee was covered by such section. The 
Director may prescribe regulations to carry out this subsection.
            (d) Other Matters.--

    (1) Recruitment and retention bonus.--In order to promote 
 the recruitment and retention of Federal wildland firefighters, 
 the Director, in coordination with the Secretaries, shall 
 establish a program under which a recruitment or retention 
 bonus of not less than $1,000 may be paid to a Federal wildland 
 firefighter in an amount as determined appropriate by the 
 Director and the Secretaries. The minimum amount of such bonus 
 in the previous sentence shall be increased each year by the 
 Consumer Price Index in the manner prescribed under subsection

    (a) . Any bonus under this subsection--
        (A) shall be paid to any primary or secondary 
 Federal wildland firefighter upon the date that such 
 firefighter successfully completes a work capacity 
 test; and
        (B) may not be paid to any such firefighter more 
 than once per calendar year.

    (2) Housing allowance.--The Secretaries shall provide a 
 housing allowance to any Federal wildland firefighter deployed 
 to a location more than 50 miles from their primary residence. 
 Such allowance shall be in an amount determined appropriate by 
 the Secretaries and adjusted based on the cost of housing in 
 the area of deployment.

    (3) Career transition.--
        (A) In general.--Not later than one year after the 
 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 
 establish, maintain, coordinate, and operate a 
 voluntary tuition assistance program for Federal 
 wildland firefighters occupying a permanent position 
 that encompass a broad range of educational experiences 
 (either in-person or through distance-learning), 
 including academic skills development, vocational 
 programs, career and technical programs, and programs 
 leading to the award of undergraduate and graduate 
 degrees.
        (B) Amount.--The program under subparagraph
        (A) shall provide, not more than once during each calendar 
 year, a payment of not less than $4,000 to each Federal 
 wildland firefighter who elects to participate in the 
 program.
            (C) Review.--The Secretaries shall conduct an 
 annual review of whether the amount provided under 
 subparagraph
        (B) is adequate, in consideration of 
 inflation and other effects.

SEC. 10. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT CASUALTY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Development of Program.--Not later than 6 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program 
(referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to provide assistance 
to the next-of-kin of--

    (1) firefighters who, while in the line of duty, suffer 
 illness or are critically injured or killed; and

    (2) wildland fire support personnel critically injured or 
 killed in the line of duty.

    (b) Aspects of Program.--The Program shall address the following:

    (1) The initial and any subsequent notifications to the 
 next-of-kin of a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel 
 who--
        (A) is killed in the line of duty; or
        (B) requires hospitalization or treatment at a 
 medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or 
 illness.

    (2) The reimbursement of next-of-kin for expenses 
 associated with travel to visit a firefighter or wildland fire 
 support personnel who--
        (A) is killed in the line of duty; or
        (B) requires hospitalization or treatment at a 
 medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or 
 illness.

    (3) The qualifications, assignment, training, duties, 
 supervision, and accountability for the performance of casualty 
 assistance responsibilities.

    (4) The relief or transfer of casualty assistance officers, 
 including notification to survivors of critical injury or 
 illness in the line of duty and next-of-kin of the reassignment 
 of such officers to other duties.

    (5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case management 
 procedures for casualty assistance, including rapid access by 
 survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel 
 and casualty assistance officers to expert case managers and 
 counselors.

    (6) The provision, through a computer accessible website 
 and other means and at no cost to survivors and next-of-kin of 
 firefighters or wildland fire support personnel, of 
 personalized, integrated information on the benefits and 
 financial assistance available to such survivors from the 
 Federal Government.

    (7) The provision of information to survivors and next-of-
 kin of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel on 
 mechanisms for registering complaints about, or requests for, 
 additional assistance related to casualty assistance.

    (8) Liaison with the Department of the Interior, the 
 Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration 
 to ensure prompt and accurate resolution of issues relating to 
 benefits administered by those agencies for survivors of 
 firefighters or wildland fire support personnel.

    (9) Data collection, in consultation with the United States 
 Fire Administration and the National Institute for Occupational 
 Safety and Health, regarding the incidence and quality of 
 casualty assistance provided to survivors of firefighters or 
 wildland fire support personnel.
            (c) Line of Duty Death Benefits.--The Program shall not affect 
existing authorities for Line of Duty Death benefits for Federal 
firefighters and wildland fire support personnel.
            (d) Next-of-Kin Defined.--In this section, the term ``next-of-kin'' 
means person or persons in the highest category of priority as 
determined by the following list (categories appear in descending order 
of priority):

    (1) Surviving legal spouse.

    (2) Children (whether by current or prior marriage) age 18 
 years or older in descending precedence by age.

    (3) Father or mother, unless by court order custody has 
 been vested in another (adoptive parent takes precedence over 
 natural parent);

    (4) Siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in 
 descending precedence by age.

    (5) Grandfather or grandmother.

    (6) Any other relative (precedence to be determined in 
 accordance with the civil law of descent of the deceased former 
 member's State of domicile at time of death).

SEC. 11. 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 non-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;
 ``
        (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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