I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7878 

To amend section 8143b of title 5, United States Code, to include in the 

time as a firefighter employed by a State when that firefighter is later 

reclassified as a Federal employee, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 5, 2024 

Mr. PAPPAS (for himself, Mrs. KIM of California, and Mr. GALLEGO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend section 8143b of title 5, United States Code, 

to include in the time as a firefighter employed by a 

State when that firefighter is later reclassified as a Federal employee, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Equity for 

5 Firefighters Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CERTAIN STATE SERVICE APPLICABLE FOR FED2 ERAL FIREFIGHTERS WORKER’S COMPENSA3 TION. 

4 Section 8143b(b) of title 5, United States Code, is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following new para6 graph: 

7 ‘‘(4) RECLASSIFIED FIREFIGHTERS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of 

9 determining the aggregate number of years an 

10 individual has been employed as an employee in 

11 fire protection activities under paragraph (1), 

12 all periods in which such individual is or was 

13 employed in a reclassified State position are 

14 deemed to be periods in which such individual 

15 was employed as an employee in fire protection 

16 activities if such individual is or was appointed 

17 to a position as an employee in fire protection 

18 activities established by the Federal Govern19 ment to perform the duties and responsibilities 

20 performed for the Federal Government by a re21 classified State position. 

22 ‘‘(B) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(i) COVERED STATE EMPLOYEE PO24 SITION.—The term ‘covered State em25 ployee position’ means a position in which 


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1 the individual holding such position is em2 ployed as a covered State employee. 

3 ‘‘(ii) EMPLOYED AS A COVERED

4 STATE EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘employed 

5 as a covered State employee’ means an in6 dividual employed by a State or political 

7 subdivision thereof as a firefighter (includ8 ing a wildland firefighter), paramedic, 

9 emergency medical technician, rescue 

10 worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous 

11 material worker who— 

12 ‘‘(I) is trained in fire suppres13 sion; 

14 ‘‘(II) has the legal authority and 

15 responsibility to engage in fire sup16 pression; 

17 ‘‘(III) is engaged in the preven18 tion, control, or extinguishment of 

19 fires or response to emergency situa20 tions in which life, property, or the 

21 environment is at risk, including the 

22 prevention, control, suppression, or 

23 management of wildland fires; and 

24 ‘‘(IV) performs the activities de25 scribed in subclause (III) as a priVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:46 Apr 14, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7878.IH H7878

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1 mary responsibility of the job of the 

2 employee. 

3 ‘‘(iii) RECLASSIFIED STATE POSI4 TION.—The term ‘reclassified State posi5 tion’ means a covered State employee posi6 tion for which the Federal Government es7 tablishes or established a position as an 

8 employee in fire protection activities to 

9 perform the duties and responsibilities per10 formed for the Federal Government by 

11 such covered State employee position.’’. 

Æ 


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