# 119-hr-5619: Federal Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act

119-hr-5619, Federal Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5619
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5619
- Congress: 119
- Title: Federal Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 41
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Protects federal firefighters' pay and jobs during funding gaps.** This bill would provide continuing appropriations so federal firefighters keep pay and allowances during any lapse in fiscal year 2026 funding and would bar removals from the civil service based on reductions in force during those lapses. - Federal firefighters: Would keep pay and allowances flowing during any FY2026 lapse by using Treasury funds not otherwise appropriated, with those funds available until new appropriations or January 1, 2027. - Jobs and workforce: Would prohibit reductions in force that remove federal firefighters from the civil service during discretionary funding lapses. - Scope for agencies and services: Would apply to employees of Executive agencies and military departments whose duties are primarily fire control and extinguishment, using Title 5 definitions to define who qualifies as a federal firefighter.

## Cosponsors (41)

- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3] (D-MD), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] (D-NV), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4] (D-AZ), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1] (D-NH), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-34] (D-TX), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] (D-PA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Shutdown pay for federal firefighters: benefit, high. If enacted, federal firefighters would keep getting pay and allowances during any FY2026 funding lapse or shutdown. The money would come from Treasury funds not otherwise appropriated. Payments would stop when Congress passes the needed funding, or passes a regular spending law without this pay, or…
- No layoffs for federal firefighters in shutdowns: benefit, high. If enacted, during any lapse in discretionary appropriations, federal firefighters could not be removed from the civil service due to a reduction in force (layoff). This would apply only during a funding lapse and would take effect when the bill is enacted.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act
- 119-hr-1810: Safe Schools Improvement Act
- 119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5619 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5619)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [119-hr-1810: Safe Schools Improvement Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1810)
- [119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-18)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5619 (as of 2026-04-21).