Political Quotes

“I rise to speak in support of the ``Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act,'' which I introduced today. Background Fueled by climate change, the annual Western wildfire season has grown longer and more intense. Where the threat used to peak between August and November, we are now seeing massive wildfire events earlier in the Summer and continuing through the end of the year. Last year alone, California experienced more than 9,600 fires which burned more than 4.1 million acres, consumed more than 10,000 structures, and claimed 33 lives. It is imperative that we commit enough manpower and resources to combat the threat that such devastating wildfire seasons pose to life and property. Unfortunately, some of our most experienced Federal firefighters work so many overtime hours each year that they reach an overtime pay cap and become ineligible for additional overtime compensation. Others are forced to pay back money they have rightfully earned fighting wildfires. Need for Legislation Federal firefighters from the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior are paid on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale based on their seniority and performance. They make a base salary and are paid overtime when they exceed eight hours a day. However, there is an annual premium pay cap that limits how many overtime hours for which these firefighters can be compensated.…”