[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 181 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Daines, Mr. Tester, 
        Ms. Rosen, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. Heinrich):
  S. 3221. A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to establish a 
special limitation on pay for wildland fire responders, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Wildland 
Firefighter Fair Pay Act to permanently increase the pay caps of some 
of the United States' most hard-working employees, who risk their lives 
to keep our communities safe and manage the land from severe wildfire.
  In every State, we rely on Federal firefighters who spend weeks to 
months away from their families in dangerous conditions. As fire season 
turns into a year-round issue, firefighters must be compensated for 
their overtime work that grows each year.
  The Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act would increase the overtime pay 
caps Federal wildland firefighters and adjust for the new proposed pay 
scale.
  This overtime pay cap increase boost the Federal Agencies' ability to 
recruit Federal wildland firefighters and avoid firefighters walking 
off the line midincident or leaving for other opportunities.
  As it stands, current United States Code limits wildland 
firefighters' premium pay and hurts Federal Agencies' ability to 
recruit and retain firefighters.
  Building off the bipartisan infrastructure law, a bipartisan group of 
Senators and the White House are working to ensure that our wildland 
firefighters are compensated appropriately for their intense line of 
work. The ``Wlldfand Firefighter Fair Pay Act'' complements these 
efforts by ensuring that any pay bump would not be limited by a pay 
cap.
  I would like to thank Senators Steve Daines, Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray 
Lujan, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, and Jon Tester for joining 
me in introducing this bill, as well as Representative Zoe Lofgren for 
championing this bill in the House.
  Lastly, we owe these efforts to California's Late Senator Dianne 
Feinstein, who had written the original bill. We must continue Senator 
Feinstein's legacy of supporting our firefighters and investing in 
wildfire mitigation efforts across the country by permanently 
increasing the premium pay cap.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this necessary 
legislation to improve pay for Federal firefighters.
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