Tim’s Act
Latest action · Nov 3, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 19, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act or Tim's Act
This bill addresses the pay and benefits of federal wildland firefighters and related issues. Federal wildland firefighter is defined as any temporary, seasonal, or permanent position at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior that maintains certain group, emergency incident management, or fire qualifications and primarily engages in or supports wildland fire management activities.
Specifically, (1) the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must establish one or more classification series for federal wildland firefighter positions, and (2) USDA and the Department of the Interior shall determine each position within USDA and Interior that qualifies as a federal wildland firefighter position.
The bill, among other requirements (1) establishes a pay scale for such positions, with annual adjustments; and (2) provides for hazardous duty pay. The OPM must establish guidelines for work schedules.
The bill addresses issues regarding wages, unpaid leave to care for a family member, recruitment and retention bonuses, and housing allowances.
USDA and Interior shall (1) establish, maintain, coordinate, and operate a voluntary tuition assistance program; (2) establish and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database; and (3) establish and carry out a program for mental health awareness and support.
Additionally, the bill provides for continuation of firefighters pension coverage in case of disability and pay parity for federal structural firefighters.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 19, 2021 to Nov 29, 2022; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Original | Oct 19, 2021 |
| R-WY | Liz Cheney | Original | Oct 19, 2021 |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Original | Oct 19, 2021 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Oct 26, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Nov 15, 2021 | |
| D-AZ | Tom O'Halleran | Nov 15, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Kim Schrier | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Feb 8, 2022 | |
| D-VA | Abigail Davis Spanberger | Feb 28, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Mar 28, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Mar 30, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | May 10, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | May 10, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jimmy Panetta | Jun 17, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | Jun 21, 2022 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Jul 5, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Jul 5, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Cheri Bustos | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Jul 19, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Mike Thompson | Jul 20, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Nov 29, 2022 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Oct 19, 2021 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Oct 19, 2021 |
| Federal Lands Subcommittee | Referred Oct 21, 2021Hearings Oct 27, 2021 | |
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Oct 19, 2021 |
| Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee | Referred Nov 3, 2021 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 3, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
- Oct 27, 2021Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Oct 21, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
- Oct 19, 2021Introduced in House
- Oct 19, 2021Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, 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.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E492 | Joe Neguse D-CO | May 12, 2022 |
| House | Debate and remarks H3979 | Joe Neguse D-CO | Mar 30, 2022 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 183, October 19, 2021, page H5674.
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To reform and enhance the pay and benefits of Federal wildland firefighters, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act
- Tim’s Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Congressional oversight
- Disability assistance
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Employee hiring
- Employee leave
- Fires
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government Operations and Politics
- Higher education
- Mental health
- Vocational and technical education
- Wages and earnings
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 19, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
