Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act
Bill: S.1221 | Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve (R-MT)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act
This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management to develop a distinct wildland firefighter occupational series. The series must apply to the following positions
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture must use the series in the advertising and hiring of a wildland firefighter.
The bill requires an employee in a wildland firefighter occupational series to receive a pay differential based on the unusual physical hardship or hazardous nature of the position.
An individual employed as a wildland firefighter on the date on which the occupational series takes effect may (1) remain in the occupational series in which the individual is working, or (2) be included in the wildland firefighter occupational series.

To require the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to create 
   a classification that more accurately reflects the vital role of 
                         wildland firefighters.

    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 ``Wildland Firefighter Recognition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        of Personnel Management;
            (2) the term ``employee'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 2105 of title 5, United States Code;
            (3) the term ``Federal land management agency'' means--
                    (A) within the Department of the Interior--
                            (i) the Bureau of Land Management;
                            (ii) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
                            (iii) the National Park Service; and
                            (iv) the United States Fish and Wildlife 
                        Service; and
                    (B) within the Department of Agriculture, the 
                Forest Service;
            (4) the term ``wildland fire''--
                    (A) means any non-structure fire that occurs in 
                vegetation or natural fuels; and
                    (B) includes prescribed fire and wildfire; and
            (5) the term ``wildland firefighter'' means--
                    (A) an employee of a Federal land management 
                agency, the duties of whose position are primarily to 
                perform work directly related to the prevention, 
                control, suppression, or management of wildland fires, 
                including an employee of a Federal land management 
                agency who is assigned to support wildland fire 
                activities; and
                    (B) an employee of a Federal land management agency 
                who is transferred to a supervisory or administrative 
                position from a position described in subparagraph (A).

SEC. 3. CLASSIFICATION OF WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.

    (a) Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with the 
        Federal land management agencies, shall commence development of 
        a distinct wildland firefighter occupational series that more 
        accurately reflects the variety of duties performed by wildland 
        firefighters.
            (2) Designation.--The official title assigned to any 
        occupational series established under paragraph (1) shall 
        include the designation of ``Wildland Firefighter''.
            (3) Positions described.--Paragraph (1) shall apply with 
        respect to any class or other category of positions that 
        consists primarily or exclusively of forestry technician 
        positions, range technician positions, or any other positions 
        the duties and responsibilities of which include--
                    (A) significant prevention, preparedness, control, 
                suppression, or management activities for wildland 
                fires; or
                    (B) activities necessary to meet any other 
                emergency incident to which assigned.
            (4) Consultation.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
        Director should consult with employee associations and any 
        other groups that represent wildland firefighters in carrying 
        out this subsection.
            (5) Implementation.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
        of enactment of this Act--
                    (A) the Director shall complete the development of 
                the wildland firefighter occupational series required 
                under paragraph (1); and
                    (B) the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
                of Agriculture shall use the wildland firefighter 
                occupational series developed under paragraph (1) in 
                the advertising and hiring of a wildland firefighter.
    (b) Hazardous Duty Differential Not Affected.--Section 5545(d)(1) 
of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking ``except'' and 
all that follows and inserting the following: ``except--
                    ``(A) an employee in an occupational series 
                covering positions for which the primary duties involve 
                the prevention, control, suppression, or management of 
                wildland fires, as determined by the Office; and
                    ``(B) in such other circumstances as the Office may 
                by regulation prescribe; and''.
    (c) Current Employees.--Any individual employed as a wildland 
firefighter on the date on which the occupational series established 
under subsection (a) takes effect may elect to--
            (1) remain in the occupational series in which the 
        individual is working; or
            (2) be included in the wildland firefighter occupational 
        series established under subsection (a).
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