Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Direct Hire to Fight Fires Act of 2023”.
Direct Hire to Fight Fires Act of 2023
A BILL
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide direct hire authority to appoint individuals to Federal wildland firefighting and firefighting support positions in the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Direct hire authority to appoint individuals to Federal wildland firefighting and firefighting support positions in the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior
In general— Chapter 96 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“9603. Direct hire authority to appoint individuals to Federal wildland firefighting and firefighting support positions in Forest Service and Department of the Interior
“(a) In general—The Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior may appoint, without regard to the provisions of sections 3309 through 3318 and part 211 and subpart A of part 337 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulations, a qualified candidate to any position described in subsection (b) in the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior, respectively.
“(b) Positions—A position described in this subsection is any Federal wildland firefighting position, or any position in support of such a firefighting position, that is described as follows:
“(1) Such a position within the Forestry Technician Series, GS–0462, or any successor series.
“(2) Such a position within the Aircraft Operation Series, GS–2181, or any successor series.
“(3) Such a position within the Miscellaneous Administration and Program Series, GS–0301, or any successor series, if the position supports firefighting and is eligible for primary or secondary firefighter retirement coverage.
“(4) Such a position within the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series, GS–0401, or any successor series, if the position supports firefighting and is eligible for primary or secondary firefighter retirement coverage.
“(5) Such a position within the Aviation Management Specialist Series, GS–2101, or any successor series.
“(6) Such a position as an Engineering Equipment Operator, WG, WL, or WS–5716, or any successor series, if the position supports firefighting and is eligible for primary or secondary firefighter retirement coverage.
“(7) Such a position within the Dispatching Series, GS–2151, if the position supports firefighting and is eligible for primary or secondary firefighter retirement coverage.
“(8) Such a position as an Equipment Specialist, GS–1670, or any successor series.
“(9) Such a position within any additional occupational series developed specifically for wildland firefighting.”
Clerical amendment— The table of sections for chapter 96 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to section 9602 the following:
Sec. 3 Streamlining and transparency in Federal wildland firefighting hiring at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior
Definitions— In this section:
Agency— The term agency means—
the Forest Service, with respect to National Forest System land; and
the Department of the Interior, with respect to land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior.
Relevant congressional committees— The term relevant congressional committees means—
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; and
the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
Secretaries— The term Secretaries means the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior.
Streamlined hiring— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall implement policies to recruit and retain wildland firefighters that—
reduce the amount of time required to hire wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel;
address and eliminate redundancies in the Federal hiring process for wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel;
streamline the process for hiring wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel who were employed by the agencies in prior years; and
reduce barriers for wildland firefighters transferring between the agencies.
Transparency—
In general— Not later than February 1 of the first calendar year that begins after the date of enactment of this Act, and not later than February 1 of each calendar year thereafter, the Secretaries shall each submit to the relevant congressional committees a report that contains the following information:
The number of wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel the agency anticipates it will need for that calendar year, delineated by position.
The number of hiring events the agency is planning to hold that calendar year.
The number of wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel currently employed by the agency, delineated by position.
The number of wildland firefighter and wildland firefighting support personnel vacancies by State.
The implementation of the direct hiring authority under section 9603 of title 5, United States Code.
The implementation of the streamlined hiring policies developed under subsection (b).
Recommendations to Congress to further improve the recruitment and retention of wildland firefighters and wildland firefighting support personnel.
Public availability— The Secretaries shall each annually publish the report submitted under paragraph (1) on a publicly available website.