[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4271 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4271
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide rest and recuperation
leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 26, 2026
Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide rest and recuperation
leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Support our Firefighters Act''.
SEC. 2. REST AND RECUPERATION LEAVE FOR EMPLOYEES ENGAGED IN WILDLAND
FIREFIGHTING.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 63 of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 6329e. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in
wildland firefighting
``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `applicable Secretary' means the Secretary
of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable
to a covered employee;
``(2) the term `covered employee' means an employee of the
Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who--
``(A) qualifies as a wildland firefighter based on
the definitions of the terms `firefighter' and
`wildland firefighter' in section 5332a(a) (applying
the definition of `employee' in section 6301(2) in lieu
of the definition of `employee' in section 5331(a)); or
``(B) is certified by the applicable Secretary to
perform wildland fire incident-related duties during
the period the employee is deployed to respond to a
qualifying incident; and
``(3) the term `qualifying incident' has the meaning given
the term in section 5545c(a).
``(b) Rest and Recuperation Leave.--
``(1) In general.--A covered employee may receive paid rest
and recuperation leave following the completion of service in
which the covered employee is deployed to respond to a
qualifying incident, subject to the policies prescribed under
this subsection.
``(2) Prescription of policies.--The Secretary of
Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall, in the
sole and exclusive discretion of the Secretaries acting
jointly, prescribe uniform policies described in paragraph (1)
after consulting with the other applicable Secretary.
``(3) Content of policies.--The policies prescribed under
paragraph (2) may include--
``(A) a maximum period of days in which a covered
employee is deployed to respond to a qualifying
incident, which shall--
``(i) begin on the date on which the
covered employee departs from the official duty
station of the covered employee and end on the
date on which the covered employee returns to
the official duty station of the covered
employee; and
``(ii) be followed by a minimum number of
days of rest and recuperation for the covered
employee;
``(B) a requirement to use 3 days of rest and
recuperation leave after a 14-day period during which
the covered employee is deployed to respond to a
qualifying incident, excluding travel to and from
assignments; or
``(C) a requirement to use 4 days of rest and
recuperation leave after a 21-day period during which
the covered employee is deployed to respond to a
qualifying incident, including travel to and from
assignments.
``(c) Use of Leave.--
``(1) In general.--Rest and recuperation leave granted
under this section--
``(A) shall be used during scheduled hours within
the tour of duty of the applicable covered employee
established for leave-charging purposes;
``(B) shall be paid in the same manner as annual
leave;
``(C) shall be used immediately after a qualifying
incident; and
``(D) may not be set aside for later use.
``(2) No payment.--A covered employee may not receive any
payment for unused rest and recuperation leave granted under
this section.
``(d) Intermittent Work Schedule.--A covered employee with an
intermittent work schedule--
``(1) shall be excused from duty during the same period of
time that other covered employees in the same circumstances are
entitled to rest and recuperation leave; and
``(2) shall receive a payment as if the covered employee
were entitled to rest and recuperation leave under subsection
(b).''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
subchapter II of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by inserting after the item relating to section 6329d the following:
``6329e. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland
firefighting.''.
SEC. 3. TRANSFER AUTHORITY.
Notwithstanding section 40803(c)(2) of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(2)), not more than
$5,000,000 of the unobligated balances of amounts made available under
the heading ``wildland fire management'' under the heading ``Forest
Service'' under the heading ``DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'' in title VI
of division J of that Act (Public Law 117-58; 135 Stat. 1410) pursuant
to section 40803(c)(2)(B) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(2)(B)) may, as
necessary to continue uninterrupted the Federal wildland firefighter
base salary increase described in section 40803(d)(4)(B) of that Act
(16 U.S.C. 6592(d)(4)(B)), including premium pay authorized under
section 1701 of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering
Emergency Assistance Act (5 U.S.C. 5547 note) (as amended by this Act),
be transferred to and merged with the amounts made available under the
heading ``wildland fire management'' under the heading ``Department-
wide Programs'' under the heading ``DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR'' in
title VI of division J of that Act (Public Law 117-58; 135 Stat. 1393).
SEC. 4. WAIVER OF OVERTIME CAPS FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.
Section 1701 of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering
Emergency Assistance Act (5 U.S.C. 5547 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``or 2022 or
2023 or 2024'' and inserting ``or any calendar year
thereafter''; and
(B) in the second sentence--
(i) by striking ``Services'' and inserting
``services''; and
(ii) by striking ``subsection'' and
inserting ``subsection.'';
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``2021 or 2022 or 2023
or 2024'' and inserting ``the applicable calendar year''; and
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ``2021 or 2022 or 2023
or 2024'' and inserting ``the applicable calendar year''.
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