FIRE Act
Sponsored By: Representative Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
Introduced
Summary
Would extend workplace safety and wage protections to incarcerated firefighters. It also would fund state and federal grant programs to enforce those protections, create a reentry job program, and set a federal court-based expungement process.
Show full summary
- Workers: Would treat incarcerated firefighters as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and cover them under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and would exclude board, lodging, and certain court-imposed fees when calculating wages.
- States and employers: Would create a Labor Department grant program to help states change and enforce safety laws at correctional facilities, authorizing $100 million per year for FY2026–FY2031 and requiring grant recipients to certify protections and report injuries and noncompliance.
- Reentry and records: Would add a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reentry grant program focused on job training and placement during the 180-day reentry period, and would create federal expungement procedures with timelines, appointed counsel for indigent petitioners, and limits on disclosure of sealed records.
*Would authorize $100 million per year for FY2026–FY2031 for the Labor grant program and reserve $400,000 under the amended Title I program, which would increase federal spending accordingly.*
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Expungement path for incarcerated firefighters
If enacted, eligible incarcerated firefighters could ask the convicting court to expunge their federal record after finishing sentence requirements. A court would have to grant a petition filed at least 7 years after finishing the sentence, and could grant one after 1 year. The U.S. Attorney could comment within 60 days. If granted, records would be removed from public files, but the Attorney General would keep a private copy. Unauthorized disclosure could be fined or punished by up to 1 year in jail.
Fair pay rules for incarcerated firefighters
If enacted, incarcerated firefighters would be treated as employees of the agency or contractor that runs the facility. Board, lodging, and other facility costs would not count as wages. Amounts taken for certain court fees would also not count as wages when figuring pay.
Safety grants and reports for incarcerated firefighters
If enacted, the Labor Department would give states grants to expand and enforce safety protections for incarcerated firefighters. It would authorize $100 million each year for FY2026–FY2031, available until spent. The Attorney General would also set aside $400,000 a year for states and localities to set up protections and require safety certifications to get grants. State agencies and the Bureau of Prisons would have to report on prison safety, injuries, and deaths within two years of enactment and then every year. The Bureau of Prisons would apply its safety program to incarcerated firefighters the same way it applies to staff, covering public and privately run facilities.
Job training for former incarcerated firefighters
If enacted, new grants would fund training, job placement, and mentoring for former incarcerated firefighters. Help would focus on the 180 days after release. Nonprofits, workforce boards, and governments could run these programs if they meet federal rules.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 5/26/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/26/2025
Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1]
AL • R
Sponsored 5/26/2025
Rutherford
FL • R
Sponsored 5/26/2025
Ivey
MD • D
Sponsored 5/26/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]
LA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov