Wildfire Response and Readiness Act

(a) Middle fire leaders academy.— Not later than a 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service, in coordination with National Wildfire Coordinating Group, shall create a Middle Fire Leaders Academy which shall be open to Federal and non-Federal wildland fire response workforce employees. The Middle Fire Leaders Academy shall provide—

(1) rapid training and certification for emerging wildfire and beneficial fire leaders; and

(2) additional and expanded training of sufficient quality to enable managers and decision makers responsible for addressing wildfire incidents and prescribed burns to make informed decisions regarding the beneficial application and management of fire, including managing local fire regimes and other forms of beneficial fire use.

(b) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2036.

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Accredited local academy.— The term accredited local academy means a partnership, between a local fire suppression organization and the office of the Fire Marshall of a State, that delivers a State Fire Training program.

(2) Accredited regional training program.— The term accredited regional training program means a partnership, between an institution of higher education and the office of the Fire Marshall of a State, or the State Wildland Firefighting Agency or in combination of Federal Land Management Agencies, that delivers an approved State Fire Training program within a given region.

(3) Eligible entity.— The term eligible entity means—

(A) an institution of higher education;

(B) an accredited regional training program;

(C) an accredited local academy; or

(D) a nonprofit entity with experience administering education and training programs for fire service personnel.

(4) Institution of higher education.— The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).

(b) Grants authorized.— Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out a program described in subsection (d).

(c) Application.— To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application in such manner, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(d) Use of funds.— An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall carry out an educational or vocational program that leads to a degree, certificate, or recognized postsecondary credential (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)) in wildfire emergency management, including—

(1) agricultural landscape planning relating to wildfire resilience;

(2) natural resource management relating to wildfire resilience;

(3) emergency management;

(4) emergency medical technician services;

(5) paramedic services;

(6) fire science;

(7) firefighting;

(8) community planning relating to wildfire resilience;

(9) short- and long-term post fire recovery safety and operations training for structural firefighters assigned to wildfire incidents; or

(10) any other program that trains individuals in the wildfire mitigation, response, or recovery workforce.

(e) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2036.

Public Law 91–378 (16 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“301. Definitions.— In this title:

(1) Civilian conservation center.— The term Civilian Conservation Center means any residential workforce development or training facility for underserved youth operated by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.

(2) Covered graduate.— The term covered graduate means an individual who successfully completed a training program at a Civilian Conservation Center.

(3) Covered student.— The term covered student means an individual who is enrolled in a training program at a Civilian Conservation Center.

(4) Secretaries.— The term Secretaries means—

(A) the Secretary of Agriculture; and

(B) the Secretary of the Interior.

302. Civilian conservation centers wildfire and conservation training program.—

(a) Specialized training programs.— The Secretaries, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall offer at Civilian Conservation Centers specialized training programs focused on—

(1) forestry and rangeland management;

(2) wildland firefighting; or

(3) any other topic relating to the mission of the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior or the public interest.

(b) Prioritization.— The Secretaries shall prioritize offering specialized training programs under subsection (a) at facilities described in section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3197(d)).

303. Wildland firefighting workforce development pilot.—

(a) In general.—

(1) Experiment, research, or demonstration pilots.— The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, may carry out experimental, research, or demonstration pilots to provide career and technical education curricula and course offerings to advance the missions of the Department of Agriculture at Civilian Conservation Centers operated by the Department of Agriculture, including facilities described in section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3197(d)).

(2) Curricula and courses.— Curricula and courses described in paragraph (1) include—

(A) incident management and emergency response logistics;

(B) disaster response;

(C) forest products measurement;

(D) timber sale administration and preparation;

(E) heavy equipment operation;

(F) equipment and mechanical services;

(G) industrial electrical;

(H) machining;

(I) mill operations;

(J) forest restoration;

(K) habitat and water quality monitoring;

(L) watershed and habitat enhancement;

(M) range management;

(N) recreation access improvement;

(O) volunteers and visitors enhancement; and

(P) historic preservation.

(b) Requirements.— In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture shall—

(1) identify workforce needs in public land agencies, forest, conservation, and recreation industries, and rural communities, after consulting with State governments and agencies, Federal emergency management and public land agencies, local communities, institutions of higher education, and Indian Tribes;

(2) develop marketing, recruitment, and retention materials for the curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection (a);

(3) provide specialized staff necessary to teach curricula and courses offerings provided under subsection (a), to the extent practicable; and

(4) improve Civilian Conservation Center facilities and modernize equipment used for the purposes of career and technical education.

304. Wildland firefighting workforce enhancement.—

(a) Recruitment goals and investments.—

(1) Recruitment goal.— The Secretaries—

(A) shall each set goals of—

(i) hiring 300 covered graduates annually to contribute to wildland firefighting or other critical workforce needs within the respective Department of each of the Secretaries;

(ii) a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment within the wildland firefighting, natural resources, forestry, or a related field; and

(iii) a certain percentage of covered graduates annually attaining employment; and

(B) may make investments to support the recruitment, training, hiring, and retention of covered graduates.

(2) Signing bonus.— The Secretaries may provide for a signing bonus to enable the successful employment and transition of covered graduates, including for the purpose of securing housing in rural and remote communities.

(b) Direct hire authority.— For fiscal year 2027, and each fiscal year thereafter through 2036, the Secretaries may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a covered graduate directly to a position for which the covered graduate meets Office of Personnel Management qualification standards.

(c) Pathways to employment.— The Secretaries shall ensure that appropriate career pathways are developed for covered graduates of relevant Civilian Conservation Center training programs.

(d) Disadvantaged youth employment.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretaries may employ covered students at regular rates of pay for necessary hours of work.

(e) Use of covered students for contracts, agreements, and grants.— To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture shall encourage the use of covered students to fulfill obligations under contracts, agreements, and grants relevant to the training administered by the Forest Service at a unit of the National Forest System where a Civilian Conservation Center is located.

305. Wildland firefighting housing pilot program.—

(a) In general.— The Secretaries shall establish a pilot program to employ covered students to improve and expand the housing stock owned by the Federal Government for the purpose of housing wildland firefighters, volunteers, partner crewmembers, interns, and other agency employees.

(b) Requirements.— In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall—

(1) identify properties currently owned by the Federal Government that would be appropriate housing for wildland firefighters, volunteers, partner crewmembers, interns, and other agency employees;

(2) identify areas where the construction of new housing described in paragraph (1) would be appropriate and sustainable; and

(3) submit to Congress a prioritized list of projects for renovation with a plan for how the Secretaries will employ covered students to repair, renovate, and remediate the properties identified under paragraph (1).

306. Report.— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this title, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report—

(1) describing underutilized capacity at Civilian Conservation Centers, based on an assessment conducted by the Secretaries; and

(2) identifying the investments, improvements, and efficiencies necessary to utilize the full capacity of Civilian Conservation Centers.”.

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Appropriate congressional committees.— The term appropriate congressional committees means the following:

(A) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives.

(B) The Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.

(C) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(D) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.

(E) The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

(F) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.

(2) Employee.— The term employee has the meaning given such term in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.

(3) Wildland firefighting activities.— The term wildland firefighting activities means any temporary, seasonal, or permanent position at the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, and Tribal Firefighters, that maintains group, emergency incident management, or fire qualifications, as established annually by the Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications published by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, that primarily engages in or supports wildland fire management, including forestry and rangeland technicians and positions concerning aviation, engineering heavy equipment operations, dispatch, or fire and fuels management.

(b) Establishment.— The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, shall jointly establish a pilot program to employ veterans in wildland firefighting activities.

(c) Duties.— The duties of such Secretaries with respect to such pilot program are as follows:

(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall be responsible for administering such pilot program.

(2) The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall be responsible for—

(A) identifying vacant positions in the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, respectively, that are appropriate for veterans selected for participation in such pilot program; and

(B) to the extent practicable, employing such veterans in such positions.

(d) Application of civil service laws.— A veteran employed under the pilot program under subsection (b) shall be treated as an employee of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, as the case may be.

(e) Best practices.— The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish guidelines that include best practices for departments and agencies of the Federal Government that carry out programs to employ veterans who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces. Such guidelines shall include—

(1) lessons learned under the Warrior Training Advancement Course of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and

(2) methods to realize cost savings based on such lessons.

(f) Reports.—

(1) Initial report.— Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior, shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program under subsection (b), including—

(A) a description of how such pilot program will be carried out in a manner to reduce the unemployment of veterans; and

(B) any recommendations for legislative actions to improve such pilot program.

(2) Implementation.— Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs commences such pilot program, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior, shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of such pilot program.

(3) Final report.— Not later than 30 days after the date on which such pilot program concludes, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior, shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes—

(A) an identification of—

(i) the number of veterans who applied to participate in such pilot program;

(ii) the number of such veterans employed pursuant to such pilot program; and

(iii) the number of veterans described in clause (ii) who transitioned to full-time positions with the Federal Government after participating in such pilot program; and

(B) any other information the Secretaries determine appropriate with respect to measuring the effectiveness of such pilot program.

(g) Termination date.— The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (b) shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs commences such pilot program.

(a) In general.— Title 5, United States Code, is amended—

(1) by inserting after section 5547 the following:

“5547a. Special limitations on premium pay for employees engaged in wildland firefighting.—

(a) In this section—

(1) the term covered employee means an employee of the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who—

(A) qualifies as a wildland firefighter based on the definitions of “firefighter” and “wildland firefighter” in section 5332a(a); or

(B) is certified by the applicable agency to perform wildland fire incident related duties during the period such employee is assigned to a qualifying incident;

(2) the term covered services means services performed by an employee that are determined by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, to primarily involve emergency wildfire suppression activities, including any periods of duty when the employee is sleeping or resting during an extended period of deployment to engage in those activities;

(3) the term emergency wildland fire suppression activities means initial-response and extended-response activities that directly relate to suppression of a wildfire, including activities associated with a severity incident but excluding activities associated with a prescribed fire incident (as those terms are defined section 5545c); and

(4) the term premium pay means the premium pay paid under the provisions of law cited in section 5547(a), except as otherwise provided in subsection (h).

(b) Any premium pay earned by a covered employee for covered services shall be disregarded in calculating the aggregate of such employee’s basic pay and premium pay for purposes of applying a limitation under section 5547.

(c) Any premium pay that is disregarded under subsection (b) shall be disregarded in calculating such employee’s aggregate pay for purposes of applying the limitation in section 5307.

(d) Pay that is disregarded under subsection (b) may not be paid to the extent it would cause the aggregate of the employee’s basic pay, premium pay, and hazard pay under section 5545(d) payable in the applicable calendar year to exceed the rate of basic pay payable for a position at level II of the Executive Schedule under section 5313, as in effect at the end of such calendar year. Any premium pay that is subject to a biweekly limitation under section 5547(c) must be paid first before other premium pay in applying the level II limitation.

(e) Application of the limit in subsection (d) or subsection (h) to a covered employee may be waived at the sole and exclusive discretion of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable. Before authorizing such a waiver for employees of their respective agencies, each Secretary, after consulting with the other Secretary, shall prescribe criteria that will be applied in making a determination to grant a waiver.

(f) Any additional pay resulting from application of this section may not be used in computing a lump-sum payment for accumulated and accrued annual leave under section 5551 or section 5552.

(g) The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture shall maintain records that document uses of the authority provided by this section.

(h)

(1) For prevailing rate employees described in section 5342(a)(2)(A) who meet the requirements in subsection (a)(l) to qualify as a covered employee, premium pay may not be paid to the extent it would cause the aggregate of the employee’s basic pay and premium pay in the applicable calendar year to exceed the rate of basic pay payable for a position at level II of the Executive Schedule under section 5313, as in effect at the end of such calendar year.

(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term basic pay means wages, environmental differential pay, and night shift differential pay, and the term premium pay means overtime pay, Sunday premium pay, and holiday premium pay.”; and

(2) in section 5541(2)(xi), by inserting “, section 5547a(h),” after “section 5544”.

(b) Calendar year 2026.— For the purpose of applying section 5547 and section 1701 of division B of Public Law 117–43 (5 U.S.C. 5547 note) in calendar year 2026, incident standby premium pay shall be included in premium pay that is subject to the limits established in those sections.

(c) Effective date.— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the first day of the first pay period that has a payment date in January 2027. Subsection (b) shall be effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after October 1, 2026.

(d) Clerical amendment.— The table of sections for chapter 55 of title 5, United States Code, is further amended by inserting after the item for section 5547 the following new item:

(a) In General.— Title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 6329d the following:

“6329e. Rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting.—

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Applicable Secretary.— The term applicable Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior.

(2) Covered employee.— The term covered employee means an employee of the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior who—

(A) qualifies as a “wildland firefighter” based on the definitions of “firefighter” and “wildland firefighter” in section 5332a(a) (applying the definition of “employee” in section 6301(2) in lieu of the definition of “employee” in section 5331(a)); or

(B) is certified by the applicable agency to perform wildland fire incident related duties during the period such employee is assigned to a qualifying incident.

(3) Qualifying incident.— The term qualifying incident has the meaning given that term in section 5545c(a)(5).

(b) Rest and recuperation.— A covered employee may receive paid rest and recuperation leave following the completion of service under a qualifying incident, subject to policies established at the sole and exclusive discretion of the Secretary of the Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable. Each Secretary shall prescribe such policies after consulting with the other Secretary.

(c) Application.— Rest and recuperation leave granted under this section shall be used during scheduled hours within the covered employee’s tour of duty established for leave-charging purposes and shall be paid in the same manner as annual leave. Rest and recuperation leave must be used immediately after a qualifying incident and may not be set aside for later use. A covered employee may not receive any payment for unused rest and recuperation leave.

(d) Intermittent work schedules.— A covered employee with an intermittent work schedule shall be excused from duty during the same period of time that other covered employees in the same circumstances are entitled to rest and recuperation leave and shall receive a payment as if the covered employee with an intermittent work schedule were entitled to rest and recuperation leave under subsections (b) and (c).”.

(b) Effective date.— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall be effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after October 1, 2026.

(c) Clerical amendment.— The table of sections for subchapter II of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 6329d the following new item:

(a) Database; recommendations.— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall—

(1) establish and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable database on a website, to be called the “Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database”, to track chronic disease caused by on-the-job environmental exposure over the lifetimes of current and former Federal wildland firefighters;

(2) update such database not less than on a yearly basis; and

(3) develop and adhere to recommendations on mitigation strategies to minimize exposure to environmental hazards for Federal wildland firefighters.

(b) Mental health.—

(1) Mental health program.— Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretaries shall establish and carry out a program for Federal wildland firefighters for mental health awareness and support. Such program shall include the following:

(A) A mental health awareness campaign.

(B) A mental health education and training program that includes an on-boarding curriculum.

(C) An extensive peer-to-peer mental health support network for Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate family.

(D) Expansion of the Critical Incident Stress Management Program, to develop and retain a larger pool of qualified mental health professionals who are familiar with the experiences of the emergency response workforce. The Program shall monitor and track mental health in the profession to better understand the scope of the issue and provide ongoing assistance and professional long-term care to patients.

(E) Establish and carry out a new and distinct mental health support service specific to Federal wildland firefighters and their immediate family, with culturally relevant and trauma informed mental health professionals who are readily available, and not subject to any limit on the number of sessions or service provided.

(2) Mental health leave.— Each Federal wildland firefighter shall be entitled to 7 consecutive days of leave, without loss or reduction in pay, during any calendar year. Leave provided under this paragraph shall not—

(A) accumulate for use in succeeding years; and

(B) be considered to be annual or vacation leave for purposes of section 5551 or 5552 of title 5, United States Code, or for any other purpose.

(c) Coordination.— In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Secretaries may enter into partnerships or cooperative agreements with other Federal agencies, universities, or non-profit institutions.

(d) OWCP.— The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs within the Department of Labor shall—

(1) recognize post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological stress-related injuries or illnesses correlated to fire protection, suppression, and incident support activities, and ensure long-term coverage for the duration of the illnesses; and

(2) expand the Special Claims Unit to ensure adequate unit staffing levels are sufficient to expedite the claims process and shorten response times to wildland firefighter and incident support personnel injured or effected on the job in order to alleviate the psychological and financial burdens placed on the patient and their families.

(a) Deposit service.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any service performed by an individual as a Federal wildland firefighter on or after January 1, 1989, for which retirement deductions under chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, have not been made shall be creditable under such chapter, but only if such firefighter—

(1) submits a written election to the Director; and

(2) the deposit requirements of section 8411(f) of such title had been met with respect to such service.

(b) Disability annuity.— Beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, any Federal wildland firefighter who suffers from a disease described in section 8143b(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code, due to environmental job-related exposure, including smoke inhalation, silicate inhalation, and firefighting toxic exposure, shall be considered to be disabled for purposes of section 8451 of such title. Such section 8451 shall be applied to any such firefighter by substituting “12 months” for “18 months”.

(c) Including overtime as basic pay.— Section 8331(3) of title 5, United States Code, is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (H), by striking “and” at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (I), by inserting “and” after the semicolon;

(3) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the following:

“(J) with respect to a Federal wildland firefighter (as that term is defined in section 5332a(a)), overtime pay received on or after the date of enactment of this subparagraph;”; and

(4) in the undesignated matter following subparagraph (J) (as added by paragraph (3)), by striking “subparagraphs (B) through (I) of this paragraph” and inserting “subparagraphs (B) through (J) of this paragraph,”.

(d) Separate normal-Cost percentage.— Section 8423(a)(1)(B)(i) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after “firefighters,” the following: “Federal wildland firefighter (as that term is defined in section 5332a(a)),”.

(a) In general.— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, any pay, benefits, and bonuses provided to any Federal structural firefighter shall be comparable with the pay, benefits, and bonuses provided for Federal wildland firefighters under this subtitle, the amendments made by this subtitle, and section 5332a of title 5, United States Code. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a report to Congress on whether pay for such Federal structural firefighters is competitive with Federal wildland firefighters.

(b) Federal structural firefighter defined.— In this section, the term Federal structural firefighter—

(1) has the meaning given the term firefighter in section 8401 of chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code; and

(2) does not include any Federal wildland firefighter.

(a) Annual adjustments.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning in the first pay period beginning on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the basic rate of pay for each Federal wildland firefighter occupying a position within such pay scale shall be increased by not less than the percentage equal to the percent change in the Consumer Price Index (all items—United States city average), published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for December of the preceding year over such Consumer Price Index for the December of the year prior to the preceding year, adjusted to the nearest one-tenth of 1 percent.

(b) Compensation comparable to non-Federal firefighters.— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit a report to Congress on whether pay, benefits, and bonuses provided to Federal wildland firefighters are comparable to the pay, benefits, and bonuses provided for non-Federal firefighters in the State or locality where Federal wildland firefighters are based.

(c) Hazardous duty pay.— Each Federal wildland firefighter carrying out work completed during prescribed fire, parachuting, tree climbing over 20 feet, hazard tree removal, and other hazardous work as identified by the Secretaries, shall be entitled to be paid the appropriate differential under section 5545(d) of title 5, United States Code, as if such employee was covered by such section. The Director may prescribe regulations to carry out this subsection.

(d) Other matters.—

(1) Recruitment and retention bonus.— In order to promote the recruitment and retention of Federal wildland firefighters, the Director, in coordination with the Secretaries, shall establish a program under which a recruitment or retention bonus of not less than $1,000 may be paid to a Federal wildland firefighter in an amount as determined appropriate by the Director and the Secretaries. The minimum amount of such bonus in the previous sentence shall be increased each year by the Consumer Price Index in the manner prescribed under subsection (a). Any bonus under this subsection—

(A) shall be paid to any primary or secondary Federal wildland firefighter upon the date that such firefighter successfully completes a work capacity test; and

(B) may not be paid to any such firefighter more than once per calendar year.

(2) Housing allowance.— The Secretaries shall provide a housing allowance to any Federal wildland firefighter deployed to a location more than 50 miles from their primary residence. Such allowance shall be in an amount determined appropriate by the Secretaries and adjusted based on the cost of housing in the area of deployment.

(3) Career transition.—

(A) In general.— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall establish, maintain, coordinate, and operate a voluntary tuition assistance program for Federal wildland firefighters occupying a permanent position that encompass a broad range of educational experiences (either in-person or through distance-learning), including academic skills development, vocational programs, career and technical programs, and programs leading to the award of undergraduate and graduate degrees.

(B) Amount.— The program under subparagraph (A) shall provide, not more than once during each calendar year, a payment of not less than $4,000 to each Federal wildland firefighter who elects to participate in the program.

(C) Review.— The Secretaries shall conduct an annual review of whether the amount provided under subparagraph (B) is adequate, in consideration of inflation and other effects.

(a) Development of program.— Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program (referred to in this section as the “Program”) to provide assistance to the next-of-kin of—

(1) firefighters who, while in the line of duty, suffer illness or are critically injured or killed; and

(2) wildland fire support personnel critically injured or killed in the line of duty.

(b) Aspects of program.— The Program shall address the following:

(1) The initial and any subsequent notifications to the next-of-kin of a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel who—

(A) is killed in the line of duty; or

(B) requires hospitalization or treatment at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or illness.

(2) The reimbursement of next-of-kin for expenses associated with travel to visit a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel who—

(A) is killed in the line of duty; or

(B) requires hospitalization or treatment at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or illness.

(3) The qualifications, assignment, training, duties, supervision, and accountability for the performance of casualty assistance responsibilities.

(4) The relief or transfer of casualty assistance officers, including notification to survivors of critical injury or illness in the line of duty and next-of-kin of the reassignment of such officers to other duties.

(5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case management procedures for casualty assistance, including rapid access by survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel and casualty assistance officers to expert case managers and counselors.

(6) The provision, through a computer accessible website and other means and at no cost to survivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel, of personalized, integrated information on the benefits and financial assistance available to such survivors from the Federal Government.

(7) The provision of information to survivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel on mechanisms for registering complaints about, or requests for, additional assistance related to casualty assistance.

(8) Liaison with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration to ensure prompt and accurate resolution of issues relating to benefits administered by those agencies for survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel.

(9) Data collection, in consultation with the United States Fire Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, regarding the incidence and quality of casualty assistance provided to survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel.

(c) Line of duty death benefits.— The Program shall not affect existing authorities for Line of Duty Death benefits for Federal firefighters and wildland fire support personnel.

(d) Next-of-Kin defined.— In this section, the term next-of-kin means person or persons in the highest category of priority as determined by the following list (categories appear in descending order of priority):

(1) Surviving legal spouse.

(2) Children (whether by current or prior marriage) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by age.

(3) Father or mother, unless by court order custody has been vested in another (adoptive parent takes precedence over natural parent).

(4) Siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by age.

(5) Grandfather or grandmother.

(6) Any other relative (precedence to be determined in accordance with the civil law of descent of the deceased former member’s State of domicile at time of death).

(a) Federal employees’ retirement system.— Section 8401(14) of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

“(14) the term firefighter means—

(A) an employee, the duties of whose position—

(i) are primarily to perform work directly connected with the control and extinguishment of non-wildland fires; and

(ii) are sufficiently rigorous that employment opportunities should be limited to young and physically vigorous individuals, as determined by the Director considering the recommendations of the employing agency;

(B) an employee, the duties of whose position—

(i) are primarily to perform work directly connected with the control and extinguishment of wildland fires; and

(ii) are sufficiently rigorous that employment opportunities should be limited to young and physically vigorous individuals, as determined by the Director considering the recommendations of the employing agency;

(C) an employee who—

(i) is transferred directly to a supervisory or administrative position after performing duties described in subparagraph (A) for at least 3 years; and

(ii) while serving in such supervisory or administrative position, has no break in service; or

(D) an employee who—

(i) occupies a supervisory or administrative position after performing duties described in subparagraph (B) for not less than 3 years; and

(ii) has not more than 24 months in total time of breaks in service;”.

(b) Service before date of enactment.—

(1) In general.— Subject to the requirements under paragraph (2), service performed before the date of enactment of this Act by an individual who, on the date of enactment of this Act, is an employee (as defined in section 8401(11) of title 5, United States Code) shall, for the purposes of chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code, be treated as service performed by a firefighter if—

(A) such service was performed during the period beginning on October 1, 2003, and ending on the day before the date of enactment of this Act;

(B) at the time of performing such service—

(i) the individual did not meet the requirements to be a firefighter under section 8401(14) of title 5, United States Code, because of a break in service; and

(ii) would have met the requirements to be a firefighter under section 8401(14)(D) of title 5, United States Code, as amended by this Act; and

(C) appropriate deductions and withholdings under sections 8422 and 8423 of title 5, United States Code, were made during such service.

(2) Credit for service.— To receive credit for eligible service under paragraph (1), the applicable individual shall—

(A) before the date on which the individual separates from service in the agency in which the individual holds a position on the date of enactment of this Act, submit a written election to the agency employing the individual;

(B) if the individual is not employed by the agency that employed the individual when the service described in paragraph (1) was performed, submit a written election to such agency; and

(C) remit to the agency that employed the individual when such service was performed the additional amount that would have been deducted during the period of prior service under section 8422 of title 5, United States Code, from the pay of the individual if the amendments made by subsection (a) had been in effect during the prior service, plus any applicable interest computed under section 8334€ of title 5, United States Code.

(3) Government contributions.— If an individual remits payment under paragraph (2)(C) with respect to service described in paragraph (1), the agency that employed the individual when such service was performed shall remit to the Office of Personnel Management (for deposit in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund) the total additional amount of Federal contributions that would have been paid under section 8423 of title 5, United States Code, if the amendments made by subsection (a) had been in effect during the prior service, plus any applicable interest computed in accordance with section 8334e of title 5, United States Code.

(4) Notification and assistance requirements.— The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall—

(A) take such action as may be necessary and appropriate to inform individuals entitled to have any service credited under this subsection, or to have any annuity computed under this subsection, of the entitlement to the credit or computation; and

(B) upon request, assist any individual described in subparagraph (A) in obtaining such information in the possession of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable, as may be necessary to verify the entitlement of the individual to have any service credited, or to have any annuity computed, pursuant to this subsection.

(5) Rule of construction.— Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit or require the making of any contribution to the Thrift Savings Fund that would not otherwise have been permitted or required but for the enactment of this section.

(c) Retention of enhanced retirement benefits during period of non-Federal service.— Section 104(e)(2) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5323(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following: “Any Federal wildland firefighter who retains coverage, rights, and benefits under such chapter 83 or 84 pursuant to this paragraph shall retain enhanced retirement benefits under either such chapter.”.

(d) Job-Sharing.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Federal wildland firefighter or wildland fire support personnel may occupy a position in the civil service (as that term is defined in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code) and a position with a Tribal Government under a job-share agreement even if the position with a Tribal Government is classified at a level higher than the civil service position, including any level that is above that of the highest level applicable to the General Schedule.

(a) Prohibition.— During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2030, without prior notification and approval of the chairs and ranking members of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate, no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to—

(1) initiate, implement, or otherwise carry out a reduction in force within the Department of the Interior or the United States Forest Service; or

(2) carry out an involuntary separation of any employee in the competitive service, any career employee in the excepted service, or any career appointee in the Senior Executive Service at the Department of Interior or the United States Forest Service except for cause on charges of misconduct, delinquency, or performance.

(b) Definitions.— In subsection (a), the terms competitive service, excepted service, and career appointee have the meaning given those terms in sections 2102, 2103, and 3132(a), respectively, of title 5, United States Code.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture may not close any research and development facility of the Forest Service, including by independent action of the Secretary or any level of agency reorganization, without prior notification and approval of the chairs and ranking members of the Committees on Appropriations in the House of Representatives and the Senate.