Bill · S. 4271· Senate(119-S-4271)
Support our Firefighters Act
- Introduced
- 3/26/2026
- Last activity
- 3/26/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Sponsored by
- Alex Padilla
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 2
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Support our Firefighters Act aims to amend title 5 of the United States Code to provide rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting. This leave is intended for covered employees of the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who respond to qualifying incidents. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior will jointly prescribe uniform policies regarding the timing and duration of this leave. The bill also includes provisions for transferring funds to continue uninterrupted Federal wildland firefighter base salary increases. Additionally, the legislation seeks to waive certain overtime caps for wildland firefighters.
Yes· 3 of 5
Would union members be better off under this?+5
The bill provides rest and recuperation leave and protects salary increases for federal employees.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+2
The bill helps ensure the continued availability and well-being of wildland firefighters who protect rural areas.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+2
The bill supports the well-being of wildland firefighters who manage environmental incidents.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-1
The bill authorizes the transfer of $5,000,000 to maintain salary increases.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Paid Rest for Wildland Firefighters: Covered employees, such as those in the Forest Service or Department of the Interior, can receive paid rest and recuperation leave following service in a qualifying incident (Section 2(b)(1)).
-
Uniform Policy Standards: The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior will act jointly to prescribe uniform policies, ensuring consistency in how leave is handled (Section 2(b)(2)).
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Protection for Intermittent Workers: Employees with an intermittent work schedule will be excused from duty during their leave period and receive payment as if they were entitled to the leave (Section 2(d)).
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Salary Stability: The bill allows for the transfer of up to $5,000,000 to ensure the Federal wildland firefighter base salary increase continues uninterrupted (Section 3).
-
Continued Overtime Availability: By amending previous acts, the bill extends the application of overtime provisions to any calendar year thereafter (Section 4).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Leave Restrictions: Rest and recuperation leave must be used immediately after a qualifying incident and cannot be set aside for later use (Section 2(c)(1)).
-
No Cash Payout for Leave: A covered employee is not permitted to receive any payment for unused rest and recuperation leave (Section 2(c)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Union Workers+5Good For Rural Residents+2Good For Low Income Households+1
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+1Reduces Government Spending-1
- 8/5/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/9/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/26/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
John CurtisRepublican · Utah
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Tim SheehyRepublican · Montana