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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5091

To amend section 5545 of title 5, United States Code, to provide hazard pay for carrying out prescribed burns, and for other purposes.

Hazard Pay for Prescribed Burns and Smokejumpers

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It is actively moving through the system, but no further actions or hearings have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill listed for this proposal at this time.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

Most bills introduced in the House face a long path to becoming law and often stall in committee without broad bipartisan support.

Key Points

  • This bill would give federal firefighters extra hazard pay when they conduct prescribed burns. These are fires intentionally set by experts to clear out dead brush and prevent larger, more dangerous wildfires later.
  • Currently, firefighters often get extra pay for fighting uncontrolled wildfires but not always for the planned burns that help prevent them. This change would treat both types of work as equally dangerous.
  • The bill also ensures that smokejumpers get hazard pay for parachuting out of planes during training or real missions. It recognizes that jumping from aircraft is a high-risk part of their job.
  • If passed, the government would have 90 days to set up the new rules. This would help agencies like the Forest Service hire and keep the specialized workers needed to prevent wildfires.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Sep 2, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Sep 2, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

To amend section 5545 of title 5, United States Code, to provide hazard pay for carrying out prescribed burns, and for other purposes.

Bill NumberHR 5091
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(16)
D: 9R: 7

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.