Title: Direct Hire To Fight Fires
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Direct Hire To Fight Fires
This bill provides direct-hire authority to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior for purposes of filling wildland and structural firefighting positions, including support positions, in the Forest Service and Interior agencies.
Direct-hire authority is an expedited hiring authority that currently may be issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to fill positions in the competitive service for which there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates. The OPM may issue such authority to agencies upon written request or upon an independent assessment that there is a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates for specific positions.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1747 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1747

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide direct hire authority 
to appoint individuals to Federal firefighting and firefighting support 
positions in the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2021

 Mr. Issa (for himself and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced the following bill; 
      which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide direct hire authority 
to appoint individuals to Federal firefighting and firefighting support 
positions in the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior, 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 ``Direct Hire To Fight Fires''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Veterans are an appreciated and sought after population 
        for positions within the Forest Service and in the positions 
        contained in this Act.
            (2) Veterans deserve expedited hiring and employment.
            (3) In fiscal year 2020, the use of the Fire Direct Hire 
        Authority (``DHA'') was on average 31 days compared to non-use 
        of the Fire DHA at 51 days and overall Forest Service (``FS'') 
        hiring at 65 days.
            (4) In fiscal year 2021, the use of the Fire DHA was on 
        average 40 days compared to non-use of Fire DHA at 94 days and 
        overall FS hiring at 73 days.
            (5) In fiscal year 2020, the number of days from 
        authorization to employee entry on duty averaged 55 days with 
        the use of the Fire DHA compared to non-use of the Fire DHA at 
        103 days and overall FS hiring at 92 days.
            (6) In fiscal year 2021, the number of days from 
        authorization to employee entry on duty averaged 57 days with 
        the use of the Fire DHA compared to non-use of the Fire DHA at 
        105 days and overall FS hiring at 94 days.

SEC. 3. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY TO APPOINT INDIVIDUALS TO FEDERAL 
              FIREFIGHTING AND FIREFIGHTING SUPPORT POSITIONS IN THE 
              FOREST SERVICE OR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 96 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 9603. Direct hire authority to appoint individuals to Federal 
              firefighting and firefighting support positions in Forest 
              Service and Department of the Interior
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 
of Interior may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter 
I of chapter 33 (other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such chapter), 
qualified candidates to any position described in subsection (b) in the 
Forest Service or the Department of the Interior, respectively.
    ``(b) Positions.--A position described in this subsection is any 
Federal wildland and structural firefighting position, or any position 
in support of such firefighting position, within any of the following 
occupational series (or any successor series):
            ``(1) Forestry Technician Series, GS-0462.
            ``(2) Aircraft Operation Series, GS-2181.
            ``(3) Miscellaneous Administration and Program Series, GS-
        0301.
            ``(4) General Natural Resources Management and Biological 
        Sciences Series, GS-0401.
            ``(5) Aviation Management Specialist Series, GS-2101.
            ``(6) Engineering Equipment Operator, WG-5716.
            ``(7) Dispatching Series, GS-2151.
            ``(8) Equipment Specialist, GS-1670.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by adding after the item relating to section 9602 the 
following:

``9603. Direct hire authority to appoint individuals to Federal 
                            firefighting and firefighting support 
                            positions in Forest Service and Department 
                            of the Interior.''.
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