This bill would amend federal personnel law to give employees engaged in wildland firefighting dedicated rest-and-recuperation leave. In practical terms, it would create a formal leave benefit for federal firefighters who work extended, physically punishing fire assignments, helping them recover between deployments. The measure is aimed at the federal workforce that responds to wildfires, especially employees in land-management and firefighting roles covered by title 5. It is being handled through House committee review, with oversight, agriculture, and natural resources committees all involved.
What This Bill Does
- Amends title 5 of the U.S. Code.
- Creates rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting.
- Applies to federal employees in wildland fire roles.
- Referred to Oversight, Agriculture, and Natural Resources in the House.
Who This Bill Affects
If you are a federal wildland firefighter, this bill would likely give you an additional leave benefit after strenuous fire deployments, making it easier to recover physically and mentally between assignments. If you are not in that workforce, the direct effect is limited, though it could indirectly improve wildfire response capacity and crew safety during severe fire seasons.
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- Federal wildland firefighters These workers face long, dangerous deployments and often have little time to recover between incidents. A formal rest-and-recuperation leave benefit would help reduce fatigue, improve safety, and make the job more sustainable.
- Public land agencies Agencies need experienced firefighters to stay healthy and remain on the job through long fire seasons. A recovery leave policy can support retention and may lower the risk of injuries or mistakes caused by exhaustion.
- Communities in wildfire-prone areas Residents benefit when the federal firefighting workforce is less burned out and more available for rapid response. Better-rested crews can improve operational readiness during major fire events.
- Budget watchdogs Any new leave entitlement can raise federal personnel costs and complicate staffing coverage during peak emergency periods. They may argue agencies should focus on existing pay and scheduling tools rather than adding a new benefit.
- Federal managers and incident commanders A guaranteed leave benefit could make it harder to keep crews fully staffed when fire activity is high, especially if leave timing overlaps with active incidents. Managers may worry about operational flexibility.
- Taxpayers concerned about federal workforce expansion Some may see the bill as adding another federal employment benefit without a clear offset. They could prefer broader wildfire workforce reforms instead of a new leave category.
Key Implications
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““provide rest and recuperation leave””
This creates a specific leave entitlement for recovery after strenuous wildfire work, rather than leaving recovery time entirely to agency discretion.
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““employees engaged in wildland firefighting””
The benefit is aimed at a defined federal workforce, not all federal employees. Its reach is therefore concentrated on firefighters and closely related crews.
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““amend title 5, United States Code””
The bill would place the new leave policy in federal personnel law, making it part of the rules governing civil-service employment and leave administration.
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““for other purposes””
This phrase usually signals that the bill may include related technical or conforming changes beyond the headline leave provision.
Official Source & Bill Facts
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- Bill
- HR 9444
- Congress
- 119th Congress
- Official title
- To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide rest and recuperation leave for employees engaged in wildland firefighting, and for other purposes.
- Policy area
- Defense & Military
- Latest action
- Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Natural Resources, 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. (June 24, 2026)
- Last updated
- June 25, 2026
Latest Status
June 24, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Natural Resources, 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.
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