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119-s-4271119th CongressWALLET

Support our Firefighters Act

Sponsored By: Senator Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

Introduced

Summary

Would create paid rest and recuperation leave for wildland firefighters. The bill would also let agencies transfer limited existing funds to support pay increases and remove year-specific overtime caps so overtime waivers apply by calendar year.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Extend overtime pay for firefighters

If enacted, the bill would change Section 1701 so its overtime and premium-pay language no longer lists specific years and instead applies to any calendar year thereafter or the applicable calendar year. This would effectively remove the previous year-by-year expiration language and let overtime and premium-pay rules for covered wildland firefighters continue beyond the old listed years. The change would take effect upon enactment and could preserve or extend overtime pay eligibility for covered firefighters.

Keep firefighter pay bump funded

If enacted, the bill would allow up to $5,000,000 of unused Forest Service wildland fire funds to be moved to the Department of the Interior to keep an existing federal wildland firefighter base salary increase running without interruption. The transfer would come from unobligated balances under the Forest Service "wildland fire management" heading and be merged into Interior's "wildland fire management" funds. The transfer could include associated premium pay described in the existing law. The authority would take effect upon enactment.

Paid rest for wildland firefighters

If enacted, the bill would create paid rest and recuperation leave for qualifying Forest Service and Department of the Interior wildland firefighters. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior would jointly set uniform policies. The policies could require 3 days of paid rest after a 14-day deployment (excluding travel) or 4 days after a 21-day deployment (including travel). Leave would be paid like annual leave, must be used right after the deployment, cannot be saved for later use, and unused days could not be paid out. Employees on intermittent schedules would be excused and paid as if they had taken the leave.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]

    MT • R

    Sponsored 3/26/2026

  • Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/13/2026

  • Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]

    UT • R

    Sponsored 6/9/2026

  • Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 8/5/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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