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S. 279 119th Congress Senate

Tim’s Act

Official title: A bill to reform and enhance the pay and benefits of Federal wildland firefighters, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 28, 2025 Introduced by: Michael F. Bennet Democratic · Colorado See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 28, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Jan 28, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now January 28, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 14

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 279: Tim’s Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-279/
MLA
"S. 279: Tim’s Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-279/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 279, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-279/.
Markdown link
[S. 279: Tim’s Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-279/)
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