{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2903", "Bacon, Panetta Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Waive Overtime Pay Cap and Protect Federal Firefighters", "2026-06-25", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Don Bacon", "B001298", "bacon.house.gov", "bacon", "https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Representative Don Bacon (NE-02) joined Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) today to introduce the Support Our Firefighters Act. This bipartisan legislation would waive the overtime cap for federal wildland firefighters and ensure they receive mandatory rest and recuperation time. The bill is also co-led by Reps. Jack Bergman (MI-01), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), Josh Harder (CA-09), and Joe Neguse (CO-02).\n\nFederal wildland firefighters are subject to an annual compensation cap, which includes base pay, overtime, and premium pay. During peak fire season, many federal wildland firefighters work extensive hours while assigned to an incident. This arbitrary cap often forces firefighters to fight fires and protect communities without getting paid, and exacerbates retention issues. To help address this issue, the Support Our Firefighters Act would permanently waive the pay cap for federal wildland firefighters so that they are fairly compensated for their lifesaving work.\n\nThe bill would also ensure federal wildland firefighters receive three days of paid rest and recuperation leave after a 14-day period and four days of rest and recuperation following a 21-day period.\n\n\u201cOur wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our communities from devastating fires,\u201d said Rep. Bacon. \u201cAs a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I\u2019m pleased to co-lead the bipartisan Support Our Firefighters Act to ensure these heroes receive the rest, support and resources they need after difficult deployments.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith wildfires raging across the country, Congress must ensure we can properly recruit and retain our federal wildland firefighters,\u201d said Rep. Panetta. \u201cThe unreasonable current overtime pay cap and unsustainable lack of rest and recuperation time undermines these selfless professionals\u2019 ability to best protect families, homes, and businesses and risks pushing them to jobs with better pay and conditions. That\u2019s why our bipartisan bill would permanently lift this arbitrary compensation cap while also providing mandatory rest for federal firefighters. It\u2019s this type of bipartisan, commonsense solution that can address the wildfire crisis and strengthen our federal firefighting workforce.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur first responders, including our wildland firefighters, are willing to put everything on the line to keep our communities safe,\u201d said Rep. Bresnahan. \u201cWildfires are unpredictable, and we cannot afford to limit their annual pay or force these brave men and women to choose between serving their communities and providing for their families. The Support Our Firefighters Act helps retain experienced firefighters, strengthens wildfire response, and ensures firefighters receive the pay they have earned and the rest time they need.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen wildland firefighters answer the call of duty, they put their lives on pause \u2014 leaving behind their lives and families for months at a time, working an average of 16-hour daily shifts, sleeping in the dirt, with incredibly limited time off to reset and reconnect with loved ones. Their service is an incredible sacrifice, and we must do everything we can to support the brave individuals that make up this workforce. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to join Congressman Panetta in introducing the Support Our Firefighters Act, a bill that expands upon our efforts to increase firefighter pay by permanently waiving the overtime pay cap and ensuring folks are provided an adequate rest and recuperation leave. It\u2019s up to us to make sure these courageous heroes are well compensated for their selfless dedication,\u201d said Rep. Neguse.\n\n\u201cWildland firefighters shouldn\u2019t be punished for taking a breather after spending weeks on the frontlines of severe megafires,\u201d said Rep. Harder. \u201cOur firefighters are already being pushed to the brink by this year-round crisis, and they need relief. This bill keeps our promise to those who stand between our communities and fire disaster by guaranteeing the rest, pay, and support they've earned.\u201d\n\n\u201cFrom the forests of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula to those out West, our federal wildland firefighters put their lives on the line every fire season \u2013 and we\u2019re losing good people to attrition because the workforce system hasn\u2019t kept pace with the support our firefighters need and deserve,\u201d said Rep. Bergman. \u201cThe Support Our Firefighters Act guarantees real recovery time, fixes the overtime pay cap waiver, and protects the pay continuity these crews depend on, and I\u2019m proud to help co-lead this bipartisan effort with my colleagues.\u201d\n\n\u201cFederal wildland firefighters perform grueling, complex work while defending American communities from the wildfire crisis. It is critical that these men and women have time to recover after deployments and that they are fairly compensated for their incredible duties. NFFE is proud to endorse this legislation to guarantee rest periods for the dedicated public servants on the front lines, in addition to lifting overtime pay limitations for hours worked on fire assignments. Addressing both issues will help ensure the workforce is adequately equipped to carry out its important mission. Thank you to Representative Panetta and the original cosponsors for their leadership in supporting federal wildland firefighters,\u201d said NFFE National President Randy Erwin.\n\nDespite risking their lives and traveling cross-country for months at a time to protect American communities and forests from wildfires, many of the more than 18,000 federal wildland firefighters live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes working overtime without fair pay. Wildland firefighters are required to work long hours in challenging and changing conditions, such as high temperatures and steep terrain. Federal agencies have continuously experienced difficulty with retention due to the nature of their work and compensation.\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-26T06:29:35Z", "2026-06-26T06:31:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2903"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7466037534177303, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}