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H.R. 4488 111th Congress House

National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement and Cost Containment Act

Official title: To implement updated pay and personnel policies in order to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified Federal wildland firefighters and to reduce the … Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To implement updated pay and personnel policies in order to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified Federal wildland firefighters and to reduce the Government's reliance on the more costly services of non-Federal wildfire resources.

Introduced: January 21, 2010 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory proceduresDepartment of AgricultureDepartment of the InteriorFires
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Forests, forestry, treesGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment studies and investigationsParks, recreation areas, trailsPublic contracts and procurementWorker safety and health
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 10 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 29, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
Feb 18, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Feb 12, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.
Jan 25, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
Jan 21, 2010
Referred to House Armed Services
Jan 21, 2010
Referred to House Agriculture
Jan 21, 2010
Referred to House Natural Resources
Jan 21, 2010
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Armed Services, 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.
Jan 21, 2010
Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform
Jan 21, 2010
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 29, 2010

Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement and Cost Containment Act - Amends federal civil service law to raise the age for mandatory separation of a wildland firefighter from 57 to 65 years of age, or until her or she is certified by a licensed physician as being unable to successfully complete all applicable physical standards testing. Prohibits the use of funds appropriated to a federal department or agency to contract for the performance of firefighting or security guard functions that are performed, as of this Act's enactment, by a federal employee of any such department or agency.

Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in cooperation with the federal land management agencies, to commence development of a separate wildland firefighter occupational series that will more accurately reflect the variety of duties performed by wildland firefighters.

Requires a wildland firefighter's hours of work officially ordered or approved in excess of 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day to be considered overtime work. Makes time the firefighter is away from his or her official duty station assigned to an emergency incident, in support of an emergency incident, or pre-positioned for emergency response, compensable as work time. Includes hazardous duty differentials as basic pay for retirement purposes.

Prohibits OPM from excluding wildland firefighters from government employees' life insurance coverage. Permits, under specified circumstances: (1) the continuation of health benefits for a wildland firefighter between wildfire seasons; and (2) anyone subject to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) as a firefighter to have any qualifying firefighter service treated as creditable service, regarding service performed between 1989 and this Act's enactment. Provides for investigations of firefighter fatalities by the Inspectors General of the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. Repeals a requirement for an independent investigation of Forest Service firefighter deaths caused by wildfire entrapment or burnover.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 8
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4488: National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement and Cost Containment Act. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-4488/
MLA
"H.R. 4488: National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement and Cost Containment Act." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-4488/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4488, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-4488/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4488: National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement and Cost Containment Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-4488/)
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