Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Alex Padilla
Introduced
Summary
Higher, targeted pay for federal wildland firefighters. This bill would create a new special base rate that raises annual pay across General Schedule grades for wildland firefighters, add a large daily incident premium for prolonged responses, and authorize paid rest-and-recuperation leave after deployments.
Show full summary
- Wildland firefighters would get a replaceable "special base rate" in place of the usual GS base pay that boosts annual pay by grade, with increases ranging roughly from 42% down to 1.5% depending on grade.
- Responders deployed to qualifying incidents that are not contained within 36 hours would be eligible for an "incident response premium pay" equal to 450% of hourly basic pay for each deployment day, with a $9,000 annual cap and protections for very high earners.
- The bill would create paid rest-and-recuperation leave after qualifying deployments, require comparable leave pay for intermittent employees, direct wage adjustments for prevailing-rate wildland firefighters consistent with the special base rate, and allow transfer of up to $5 million from Forest Service wildfire funds to Interior to help continue the base pay increase.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Daily incident premium pay for deployments
If enacted, this would pay a daily incident response premium to covered Forest Service and Interior wildland firefighters deployed to qualifying incidents. The daily premium would equal 450% of your hourly rate of basic pay, rounded to the nearest cent. For employees paid above the locality GS-10 step 10 annual rate, the daily premium would be capped at the GS-10 step 10 locality daily rate. Premium pay could not exceed $9,000 per calendar year. The premium would not count as basic pay for leave, lump-sum leave payouts, or overtime calculations.
Higher base pay for wildland firefighters
If enacted, this would create a special base pay rate that replaces the General Schedule (GS) base for eligible Forest Service and Interior wildland firefighters. The special rate would be the GS base increased by a grade-specific percent and rounded to the nearest dollar. Specified increases include: GS-1 +42%, GS-2 +39%, GS-3 +36%, GS-4 +33%, GS-5 +30%, GS-6 +27%, GS-7 +24%, GS-8 +21%, GS-9 +18%, GS-10 +15%, GS-12 +9%, GS-13 +6%, GS-14 +3%, and GS-15 +1.5%. The special rate would count as basic pay for all purposes, including computing locality pay, and would start the first pay period after the temporary firefighter pay increases ended.
Paid rest leave after deployments
If enacted, this would give paid rest and recuperation leave to covered Forest Service and Interior wildland firefighters after qualifying deployments. The two Secretaries would jointly set uniform policies, which may require a minimum rest period after a maximum deployment or limit average hours worked to no more than 16 per day over 14 days. The leave would be used during scheduled work hours, paid like annual leave, must be used right after deployment, and cannot be cashed out. Intermittent employees would get a payment in lieu of the leave.
Wage increases for wage‑grade firefighters
If enacted, this would let the Agriculture and Interior Secretaries increase prevailing-rate (wage‑grade) pay for wildland firefighters. Any increase would be generally consistent with the GS special base rate percentages, count as basic pay for the same purposes as other wage rates, and could not make annual pay exceed the annual rate for Executive Schedule level IV. The amount and timing of increases are left to the Secretaries' discretion after consultation.
Small fund transfer to continue pay
If enacted, this would allow up to $5,000,000 of unused Forest Service wildland fire management funds to be moved to Interior wildland fire programs. The transfer is to help keep the federal wildland firefighter base salary increase in effect without interruption. The authority is limited to not more than $5,000,000 and merges the funds into Interior wildland fire management accounts.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Alex Padilla
CA • D
Cosponsors
Steve Daines
MT • R
Sponsored 1/16/2025
John Barrasso
WY • R
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Adam Schiff
CA • D
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Tim Sheehy
MT • R
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Martin Heinrich
NM • D
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Cynthia Lummis
WY • R
Sponsored 1/28/2025
Gary Peters
MI • D
Sponsored 1/28/2025
John Curtis
UT • R
Sponsored 1/28/2025
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 1/28/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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