Support our Firefighters Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4271
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-26: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-10T11:03:26Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Support our Firefighters Act (S. 4271) aims to support federal wildland firefighters by providing them with paid rest and recuperation (R&R) leave after intense deployments, allowing a one-time transfer of funds to sustain salary increases, and permanently waiving overtime pay limits.
Key Provisions
- New R&R Leave (Section 2): Adds a new section (6329e) to U.S. Code Title 5 for "covered employees" (Forest Service or Department of the Interior staff qualified as wildland firefighters or certified for fire incident duties during a "qualifying incident," like major wildfires).
- Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior jointly set policies, such as:
- Maximum deployment days (e.g., from leaving duty station to returning) followed by minimum rest days.
- 3 days of R&R after 14 deployment days (excluding travel).
- 4 days of R&R after 21 deployment days (including travel).
- Leave is paid like annual leave, must be used immediately during scheduled work hours after the incident, cannot be saved or cashed out.
- Intermittent (on-call) workers get excused from duty and paid equivalently.
- Fund Transfer (Section 3): Allows up to $5 million transfer from Forest Service wildland fire funds to Interior Department programs to maintain base salary increases and premium pay for firefighters without interruption.
- Overtime Waiver (Section 4): Amends prior law to permanently remove the annual overtime pay cap (previously limited to certain years up to 2024) for wildland firefighters in Forest Service and Interior, applying to "any calendar year thereafter."
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces entirely new R&R leave category tailored to wildland firefighting hazards, not previously available under federal leave rules.
- Extends overtime cap waiver indefinitely, changing temporary relief (through 2024) to permanent.
- Overrides a funding restriction in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to enable the $5 million transfer.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: Forest Service (USDA) and Interior (e.g., Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service) gain tools for firefighter recovery, potentially improving readiness and reducing burnout; minor budgetary shift via fund transfer.
- On Citizens/Firefighters: Enhances safety and work-life balance for ~15,000 federal wildland firefighters facing long, grueling deployments; supports better wildfire response nationwide.
- No direct international effects, as it focuses on domestic federal operations.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Primary: Federal wildland firefighters and support staff in Forest Service and Interior Department.
- Secondary: Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior (policy-making role); U.S. taxpayers (via funding mechanisms).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Expands federal employee benefits under Title 5 (government personnel law); Secretaries have "sole and exclusive discretion" for policy details, limiting challenges. No lump-sum payouts avoid premium pay conflicts.
- Constitutional: Routine exercise of Congress's authority over federal workforce and appropriations; no apparent free speech, due process, or separation-of-powers issues.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (Sens. Padilla and Sheehy); addresses growing wildfire crisis amid climate and staffing shortages, potentially setting precedent for hazard-specific federal worker protections.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT], Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA], Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-26: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2026-03-26: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Support our Firefighters Act — issued 2026-03-26 — PDF (7 pages)