On the recordNovember 2, 2023
I rise to introduce the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act to permanently increase the pay caps of some of the United States' most hard-working employees, who risk their lives to keep our communities safe and manage the land from severe wildfire. In every State, we rely on Federal firefighters who spend weeks to months away from their families in dangerous conditions. As fire season turns into a year-round issue, firefighters must be compensated for their overtime work that grows each year. The Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act would increase the overtime pay caps Federal wildland firefighters and adjust for the new proposed pay scale. This overtime pay cap increase boost the Federal Agencies' ability to recruit Federal wildland firefighters and avoid firefighters walking off the line midincident or leaving for other opportunities. As it stands, current United States Code limits wildland firefighters' premium pay and hurts Federal Agencies' ability to recruit and retain firefighters. Building off the bipartisan infrastructure law, a bipartisan group of Senators and the White House are working to ensure that our wildland firefighters are compensated appropriately for their intense line of work. The ``Wlldfand Firefighter Fair Pay Act'' complements these efforts by ensuring that any pay bump would not be limited by a pay cap.…
Source
govinfo.gov




