Senator Rosen Helped Draft the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law That is Funding A Historic Pay Raise, Increased Support for Current Firefighters, and Improved Recruitment and Retention for New Firefighters
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) applauded the historic pay raise and benefits that federal wildland firefighters will receive thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that she helped draft and pass. The funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will also help increase recruitment and retention for federal firefighters. Just last week, Senator Rosen helped send a letter with Senator Cortez Masto (D-NV) and other colleagues calling on the Office of Personnel Management to swiftly implement these provisions.
“Firefighters are heroes who routinely put themselves in harm’s way as Nevada and Western states face increasingly more severe and frequent wildfires,” said Senator Rosen. “That is why I’m proud to see that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I helped write and pass will give them a long-overdue pay raise and will help us recruit and retain more federal wildland firefighters to keep our communities safe. I will continue fighting to make sure our wildland firefighters have the resources they need and deserve.”
Federal land management agencies face recruitment and retention issues for wildland firefighters mainly due to the low pay they receive. In addition to being underpaid, these firefighters face increasingly worsening conditions due to more severe wildfires and longer wildfire seasons.
Senator Rosen has led the fight to deliver pay increases for wildland firefighters in Nevada. She co-sponsored the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act, which advanced out of committee with a Rosen-led amendment and would exempt overtime pay caps for Forest Service and Interior Department wildland firefighters. Senator Rosen has also repeatedly pushed for the federal government to do more to support Western states affected by wildfires. Last month, Senator Rosen joined two letters urging the creation of a special pay rate for wildland firefighters and requesting $1.154 billion for federal firefighter salaries and to hire an additional 3,200 firefighters.
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