Support our Firefighters Act
Sponsored By: Representative Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
Introduced
Summary
Paid rest and recuperation leave for federal wildland firefighters. This bill would create a clear, paid rest-and-recovery entitlement for Forest Service and Department of the Interior wildland firefighting personnel and also adjusts funding and overtime rules to preserve pay and benefits.
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- Wildland firefighters would earn paid rest and recuperation leave after deployments. The bill requires using 3 days of leave after a 14-day deployment and more rest after longer deployments, paid at the same rate as annual leave.
- Employees with intermittent schedules would be excused during the same rest periods and receive pay as if they were eligible for the leave.
- The bill lets agencies transfer up to $5 million of unobligated Forest Service wildland fire funds to Interior to continue a prior base salary increase and premium pay, and it replaces fixed calendar-year overtime caps with a continuing "any calendar year thereafter" rule to avoid expiration of those allowances.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Keep overtime pay available for firefighters
If enacted, the bill would remove specific calendar-year listings from overtime and premium-pay rules for federal wildland firefighters. Phrases listing years such as 2022–2024 would be replaced with language like "the applicable calendar year" or "any calendar year thereafter." That change would keep the section 1701 premium-pay and overtime authority from expiring on the previously listed years and make the authority open-ended for future calendar years. If you are eligible for section 1701 premium pay, this could keep that pay authority available in coming years.
Move $5 million to firefighter pay
If enacted, the bill would allow up to $5,000,000 of unobligated Forest Service wildland fire funds to be transferred to Interior's wildland fire account. The amounts would be merged with Interior funds and could be used as needed to continue a previous federal wildland firefighter base salary increase and related premium pay. The transfer is one-time authority and does not itself guarantee a specific payment per person.
Paid rest time for wildland firefighters
If enacted, federal wildland firefighters would get paid rest-and-recuperation (R&R) leave after qualifying deployments. Covered employees would be Forest Service or Interior employees who meet the wildland firefighter definition in 5 U.S.C. 5332a(a) or who are certified by the applicable Secretary while deployed. Joint policies by the Agriculture and Interior Secretaries would require 3 days of R&R after a 14-day deployment (excluding travel) and 4 days after a 21-day deployment (including travel). R&R would be used during scheduled tour hours, paid like annual leave, used immediately after the incident, could not be saved, and would not be paid out if unused. Employees with intermittent schedules would be excused for the same period and paid as if they took R&R.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8]
PA • R
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
NE • R
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1]
MI • R
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]
NV • D
Sponsored 7/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov