A
bill
authored by Rep. Darrell Issa in hopes of streamlining the hiring of federal firefighters on Tuesday cleared a House committee.
The Direct Hire to Fight Fires bill is intended to simplify the process of hiring firefighters.
“Today’s unacceptably slow hiring process means critical positions used to combat fires go unfilled and blazes burn that much longer,” Issa said in a news release. “We need this common-sense federal hiring process to bring this available resource where it is needed the most.”
The House Natural Resources Committee passed the bill. H.R. 435 awaits docketing for a full vote on the House floor.
Should the legislation pass Congress, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior would have permanent direct-hire capabilities for wildland firefighters and support positions for the Forest Service and Interior agencies.
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It also requires the USDA and Interior to annually report related data to Congress, including the number of firefighters needed for the coming year, the number of firefighting vacancies in each state and existing barriers to filling such vacancies.
The bill was
heard during a prior session
of Congress, in 2023-24.
