Veteran Wildland Firefighter Employment Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
In Committee
Summary
This bill would create a two-year pilot to hire veterans for wildland firefighting within federal agencies. The Department of Veterans Affairs would run the pilot while the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior identify vacant firefighting positions for veterans.
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- Veterans: Creates a pathway for veterans to become federal wildland firefighters and treats participants as federal employees under Civil Service laws. Roles listed include forestry technicians, fire and fuels management, aviation, dispatch, and heavy equipment operations.
- Transitioning service members: Lets the pilot be offered through the SkillBridge program so separating service members can gain firefighting experience before civilian transition.
- Federal land agencies: Agriculture and Interior must identify appropriate vacant positions and, when practicable, employ veterans; VA must develop best-practice hiring guidance aimed at efficient placement and potential cost savings.
- Oversight and duration: Requires reports to Congress at 60 days, at one year, and after the pilot ends; the authority to run the pilot ends two years after it begins.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Pilot firefighting jobs for veterans
If enacted, the VA would run a pilot to hire veterans into wildland firefighting jobs at the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. Those departments would list open roles and, when possible, hire the veterans into them. Veterans in the pilot would be federal employees under civil service rules. The pilot could tie into the Defense Department’s SkillBridge program for transitioning service members. Jobs would require the yearly wildland fire qualifications set by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
Best practices for hiring veterans
If enacted, the VA would issue best-practice guidelines for agencies that hire transitioning service members. The guidance would use lessons from the Warrior Training Advancement Course. It would also include ways to cut costs.
Pilot ends two years after start
If enacted, the hiring pilot would end two years after the VA starts it. After that, agencies would not be able to hire through this pilot unless Congress extends it.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Rutherford
FL • R
Sponsored 6/4/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov