Tim’s Act

Bill: 119-hr-743
Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
Introduced: 2025-01-28 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Cancer
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Congressional oversight
Disability assistance
Employee benefits and pensions
Employee leave
Environmental health
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Forests, forestry, trees
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Mental health
Wages and earnings
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: 

Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act or Tim's Act

This bill increases compensation and establishes additional benefits and programs for federal wildland firefighters. (These individuals are employed by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, or tribal governments.) 

The bill increases the minimum rate of basic pay for wildland firefighters at General Schedule (GS) levels 1 through 15 by percentages specified in the bill, with smaller increases for higher GS levels. The bill also requires comparable increases to the hourly rates paid to prevailing rate employees who are wildland firefighters. It also establishes premium pay for wildland firefighters who respond to certain prolonged fire incidents and are deployed outside of their normal duty stations or to an area adjacent to the incident. These changes take effect after other temporary pay increases for wildland firefighters expire.

The bill also (1) establishes paid rest and recuperation leave; (2) allows certain prior service to be credited for retirement purposes; and (3) provides housing allowances, tuition assistance, and other benefits for wildland firefighters.

Further, the bill directs the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs within the Department of Labor to ensure that psychological stress-related injuries and illnesses correlated to fire response are compensated and to expedite related claims.

The bill also establishes programs to (1) assist the next-of-kin of wildland firefighters and fire support personnel who are critically injured or killed while in the line of duty, and (2) support the mental and physical health of wildland firefighters.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-03-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Introduced in House