,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cbfh  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #i1  
#bjbc,mr4 ,daines 7for himself and ,mr4 
,lankford7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security
 and ,governmental ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  
,to amend title #e1 ,united ,states     
,code1 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     
,interior1 and for other purposes4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,direct ,hire to ,fight ,fires ,act 
of #bjbc4  #b4 ,direct hire authority to
 appoint individuals to ,federal        
wildland firefighting and firefighting  
support positions in the ,forest        
,service or the ,department of the      
,interior  7a7 ,in general ,chapter #if 
of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 is  
amended by adding at the end the        

following3  #ifjc4 ,direct hire         
authority to appoint individuals to     
,federal wildland firefighting and      
firefighting support positions in       
,forest ,service and ,department of the 
,interior  7a7 ,in general ,the         
,secretary of ,agriculture or the       
,secretary of the ,interior may appoint1
 without regard to the provisions of    
sections #ccji through #ccah and part   
#baa and subpart ,a of part #ccg of     
title #e1 ,code of ,federal             
,regulations1 or any successor          
regulations1 a qualified candidate to   
any position described in subsection 7b7
 in the ,forest ,service or the         
,department of the ,interior1           
respectively4  7b7 ,positions ,a        
position described in this subsection is
 any ,federal wildland firefighting     
position1 or any position in support of 
such a firefighting position1 that is   
described as follows3 7#a7 ,such a      
position within the ,forestry           
,technician ,series1 ,,gs-#jdfb1 or any 

successor series4  7#b7 ,such a position
 within the ,aircraft ,operation        
,series1 ,,gs-#baha1 or any successor   
series4  7#c7 ,such a position within   
the ,miscellaneous ,administration and  
,program ,series1 ,,gs-#jcja1 or any    
successor series1 if the position       
supports firefighting and is eligible   
for primary or secondary firefighter    
retirement coverage4  7#d7 ,such a      
position within the ,general ,natural   
,resources ,management and ,biological  
,sciences ,series1 ,,gs-#jdja1 or any   
successor series1 if the position       
supports firefighting and is eligible   
for primary or secondary firefighter    
retirement coverage4  7#e7 ,such a      
position within the ,aviation           
,management ,specialist ,series1        
,,gs-#baja1 or any successor series4    
7#f7 ,such a position as an ,engineering
 ,equipment ,operator1 ,,wg1 ,,wl1 or   
,,ws-#egaf1 or any successor series1 if 
the position supports firefighting and  
is eligible for primary or secondary    

firefighter retirement coverage4  7#g7  
,such a position within the ,dispatching
 ,series1 ,,gs-#baea1 if the position   
supports firefighting and is eligible   
for primary or secondary firefighter    
retirement coverage4  7#h7 ,such a      
position as an ,equipment ,specialist1  
,,gs-#afgj1 or any successor series4    
7#i7 ,such a position within any        
additional occupational series developed
 specifically for wildland firefighting4
  4  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table 
of sections for chapter #if of title #e1
 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by   
adding after the item relating to       
section #ifjb the following3  #ifjc4    
,direct hire authority to appoint       
individuals to ,federal wildland        
firefighting and firefighting support   
positions in ,forest ,service and       
,department of the ,interior4  4  #c4   
,streamlining and transparency in       
,federal wildland firefighting hiring at
 the ,forest ,service and the           
,department of the ,interior  7a7       

,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,agency ,the term agency means-- 7,a7   
the ,forest ,service1 with respect to   
,national ,forest ,system land2 and     
7,b7 the ,department of the ,interior1  
with respect to land under the          
jurisdiction of the ,secretary of the   
,interior4  7#b7 ,relevant congressional
 committees ,the term relevant          
congressional committees means-- 7,a7   
the ,committee on ,homeland ,security   
and ,governmental ,affairs1 the         
,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 
and ,forestry1 and the ,committee on    
,energy and ,natural ,resources of the  
,senate2 and  7,b7 the ,committee on    
,oversight and ,accountability1 the     
,committee on ,agriculture1 and the     
,committee on ,natural ,resources of the
 ,house of ,representatives4  7#c7      
,secretaries ,the term ,secretaries     
means the ,secretary of ,agriculture and
 the ,secretary of the ,interior4  7b7  
,streamlined hiring ,not later than #a  
year after the date of enactment of this

 ,act1 the ,secretaries1 in consultation
 with the ,director of the ,office of   
,personnel ,management1 shall implement 
policies to recruit and retain wildland 
firefighters that-- 7#a7 reduce the     
amount of time required to hire wildland
 firefighters and wildland firefighting 
support personnel2  7#b7 address and    
eliminate redundancies in the ,federal  
hiring process for wildland firefighters
 and wildland firefighting support      
personnel2  7#c7 streamline the process 
for hiring wildland firefighters and    
wildland firefighting support personnel 
who were employed by the agencies in    
prior years2 and  7#d7 reduce barriers  
for wildland firefighters transferring  
between the agencies4  7c7 ,transparency
  7#a7 ,in general ,not later than      
,february #a of the first calendar year 
that begins after the date of enactment 
of this ,act1 and not later than        
,february #a of each calendar year      
thereafter1 the ,secretaries shall each 
submit to the relevant congressional    

committees a report that contains the   
following information3 7,a7 ,the number 
of wildland firefighters and wildland   
firefighting support personnel the      
agency anticipates it will need for that
 calendar year1 delineated by position4 
7,b7 ,the number of hiring events the   
agency is planning to hold that calendar
 year4  7,c7 ,the number of wildland    
firefighters and wildland firefighting  
support personnel currently employed by 
the agency1 delineated by position4     
7,d7 ,the number of wildland firefighter
 and wildland firefighting support      
personnel vacancies by ,state4  7,e7    
,the implementation of the direct hiring
 authority under section #ifjc of title 
#e1 ,united ,states ,code4  7,f7 ,the   
implementation of the streamlined hiring
 policies developed under subsection    
7b74  7,g7 ,recommendations to ,congress
 to further improve the recruitment and 
retention of wildland firefighters and  
wildland firefighting support personnel4
  7#b7 ,public availability ,the        

,secretaries shall each annually publish
 the report submitted under paragraph   
7#a7 on a publicly available website4