,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dce  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #ae1        
#bjbe,mr4 ,issa 7for himself1 ,mr4      
,kiley of ,california1 and ,mr4         
,obernolte7 introduced the following    
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,oversight and ,government
 ,reform1 and in addition to the        
,committees on ,natural ,resources1 and 
,agriculture1 for a period to be        
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,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 or the ,department of  
the ,interior1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,direct ,hire ,to ,fight ,fires4
  #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 the ,forest ,service and   
,department of the ,interior  7a7 ,in   
general ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture 
and the ,secretary of the ,interior may 
appoint1 without regard to the          
provisions of sections #ccji through    
#ccah of this title1 and part #baa and  
part #ccg of subpart ,a of title #e1    
,code of ,federal ,regulations1         
qualified candidates 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 firefighting         
position1 within any of the following   
occupational series 7or any successor   
series73 7#a7 ,forestry ,technician     
,series1 ,,gs-#jdfb4  7#b7 ,aircraft    
,operation ,series1 ,,gs-#baha4  7#c7   
,miscellaneous ,administration and      
,program ,series1 ,,gs-#jcja1 that      
supports firefighting and is eligible   
for primary or secondary firefighter    
retirement coverage4  7#d7 ,general     
,natural ,resources ,management and     
,biological ,sciences ,series1          
,,gs-#jdja1 that supports firefighting  
and is eligible for primary or secondary
 firefighter retirement coverage4  7#e7 
,aviation ,management ,specialist       
,series1 ,,gs-#baja4  7#f7 ,engineering 
,equipment ,operator1 ,,wg1 ,,wl1 or    
,,ws-#egaf1 that supports firefighting  
and is eligible for primary or secondary
 firefighter retirement coverage4  7#g7 
,dispatching ,series1 ,,gs-#baea1 that  
supports firefighting and is eligible   

for primary or secondary firefighter    
retirement coverage4  7#h7 ,equipment   
,specialist1 ,,gs-#afgj4  7#i7 ,any     
additional occupational series developed
 specifically for wildland firefighting4
  4  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table 
of sections for such chapter 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 the ,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       
,streamlined hiring ,not later than #a  
year after the date of the 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       
agencies4  7b7 ,transparency  7#a7 ,in  
general ,beginning #a year after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act and  
annually thereafter1 the ,secretaries   
shall each submit a report to the       
relevant ,congressional ,committees that
 includes the information described in  
paragraph 7#b7 not later than ,february 
#ast of each calendar year4  7#b7       
,requirements ,as part of the report    
submitted under paragraph 7#a71 the     
,secretaries shall include information  

regarding-- 7,a7 the number of wildland 
firefighters and wildland firefighting  
support personnel the agency anticipates
 it will need for that calendar year1   
delineated by position2  7,b7 the number
 of hiring events the agency is planning
 to hold that calendar year2  7,c7 the  
number of wildland firefighters and     
wildland firefighting support personnel 
currently employed by the agency1       
delineated by position2  7,d7 the number
 of wildland firefighting vacancies by  
,state2  7,e7 any barriers the agency is
 facing to meet the hiring goal outlined
 in subsection 7a72  7,f7 the           
implementation of the direct hiring     
authority provided in section #b2  7,g7 
the implementation of the streamlined   
hiring policies developed under         
subsection 7a72 and  7,h7               
recommendations to ,congress to further 
improve the recruitment and retention of
 wildland firefighters and wildland     
firefighting support personnel4  7#c7   
,public availability ,the ,secretaries  

shall each annually publish the report  
submitted under paragraph 7#a7 on a     
publicly available website4  7#d7       
,definitions ,in this section3 7,a7     
,agency ,the term agency means-- 7i7 the
 ,forest ,service1 with respect to      
,national ,forest ,system lands2 and    
7ii7 the ,department of the ,interior1  
with respect to lands under the         
jurisdiction of the ,secretary of the   
,interior4  7,b7 ,relevant              
,congressional ,committees ,the term    
relevant ,congressional ,committees     
means-- 7i7 the ,committees on          
,oversight and ,government ,reform1     
,agriculture1 and ,natural ,resources of
 the ,house of ,representatives2 and    
7ii7 the ,committees on ,homeland       
,security and ,governmental ,affairs1   
,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry 
and ,energy and ,natural ,resources of  
the ,senate4  7,c7 ,secretaries ,the    
term ,secretaries means the ,secretary  
of ,agriculture and the ,secretary of   
the ,interior4