```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7878 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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.

    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 ``Ensuring Equity for Firefighters 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN STATE SERVICE APPLICABLE FOR FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS 
              WORKER'S COMPENSATION.

    Section 8143b(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Reclassified firefighters.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For the purposes of determining 
                the aggregate number of years an individual has been 
                employed as an employee in fire protection activities 
                under paragraph (1), all periods in which such 
                individual is or was employed in a reclassified State 
                position are deemed to be periods in which such 
                individual was employed as an employee in fire 
                protection activities if such individual is or was 
                appointed to a position as an employee in fire 
                protection activities established by the Federal 
                Government to perform the duties and responsibilities 
                performed for the Federal Government by a reclassified 
                State position.
                    ``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Covered state employee position.--The 
                        term `covered State employee position' means a 
                        position in which the individual holding such 
                        position is employed as a covered State 
                        employee.
                            ``(ii) Employed as a covered state 
                        employee.--The term `employed as a covered 
                        State employee' means an individual employed by 
                        a State or political subdivision thereof as a 
                        firefighter (including a wildland firefighter), 
                        paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue 
                        worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous 
                        material worker who--
                                    ``(I) is trained in fire 
                                suppression;
                                    ``(II) has the legal authority and 
                                responsibility to engage in fire 
                                suppression;
                                    ``(III) is engaged in the 
                                prevention, control, or extinguishment 
                                of fires or response to emergency 
                                situations in which life, property, or 
                                the environment is at risk, including 
                                the prevention, control, suppression, 
                                or management of wildland fires; and
                                    ``(IV) performs the activities 
                                described in subclause (III) as a 
                                primary responsibility of the job of 
                                the employee.
                            ``(iii) Reclassified state position.--The 
                        term `reclassified State position' means a 
                        covered State employee position for which the 
                        Federal Government establishes or established a 
                        position as an employee in fire protection 
                        activities to perform the duties and 
                        responsibilities performed for the Federal 
                        Government by such covered State employee 
                        position.''.
                                 <all>
```