Human resources

(a) Prescribed fire workforce (1) Increasing workforce retention (A) Hazard pay (i) In general Each Federal employee in any classification series, as identified by the Secretaries, shall be entitled to be paid the appropriate differential under section 5545(d) of title 5, United States Code, as if such employee was covered by such subsection, when such employee carries out work directly related to the ignition, management, and control of a prescribed fire. (ii) Regulations The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations to carry out this subparagraph. (B) Incentive payments for fuels assignments The Secretaries shall submit to the congressional committees a joint report describing mechanisms to attract and retain a skilled fuels workforce, including pay incentives that would account for and offset the more competitive pay options offered through wildfire suppression assignments. (2) Dedicated prescribed fire task forces (A) In general The Secretaries shall— (i) not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, establish at least 1 multiparty task force of Federal employees and non-Federal entities within each Geographic Area Coordination Center to plan, lead, and support prescribed fire across ownership boundaries that are priorities at the landscape, region, State, or Federal level; and (ii) support each task force established under clause (i) by assigning a dedicated Federal employee— (I) to aid necessary administrative functions relating to partnership agreements; and (II) to coordinate prescribed fire across ownership boundaries. (B) Cooperative agreements The Secretaries may enter into 1 or more cooperative agreements to carry out this paragraph. (3) Conversion of seasonal firefighters to permanent employees The Secretaries may noncompetitively convert a Federal seasonal employee to a Federal permanent employee if— (A) the listed job duties of the employee include wildland firefighting; (B) the employee received a rating of at least Fully Successful in each of the performance appraisals of the employee for the 3 most recent seasons of Federal employment of the employee; and (C) the job duties and performance standards of the position into which the permanent employee converts emphasize implementing prescribed fires. (4) Employment of formerly incarcerated individuals (A) In general The Secretaries, in consultation with the Attorney General and State departments of corrections, shall seek to provide career pathways, training, and wraparound support services, including through partnerships with the Corps Network, to individuals described in subparagraph (B) to work as prescribed fire practitioners. (B) Individuals described An individual referred to in subparagraph (A) is an individual that— (i) has been convicted in any court of a criminal offense, other than arson or a violent crime (as defined by the Secretaries, in consultation with the Attorney General and State departments of corrections), and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for that offense; and (ii) during the term of imprisonment described in clause (i), served on a wildland firefighting crew or received other comparable training. (5) Underutilized employees The Secretaries shall support the recruitment, development, and participation of underutilized employees, as determined by the Secretaries, in the wildland fire workforce, including by fostering leadership opportunities, mentorship networks, and training. (6) Veterans crews (A) In general The Secretaries, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall seek— (i) to provide a career pathway to individuals described in subparagraph (B) to work as prescribed fire practitioners; and (ii) to establish crews composed predominantly of veterans to conduct prescribed fires. (B) Individuals described An individual referred to in subparagraph (A) is an individual who— (i) served in the active military, naval, or air service; and (ii) was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. (b) Additional training centers Subject to the availability of appropriations, not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture (and the Secretary of Defense in the case of a center located on a military installation), shall— (1) establish, operate, and facilitate a prescribed fire training program or center that offers training in prescribed fire within each Geographic Area Coordination Center region where such a program or center does not exist on the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) support the establishment of an Indigenous-led prescribed fire and cultural burning training center operated by an Indian Tribe or partnership of Indian Tribes. (c) Competencies for firefighters The Secretaries, in coordination with the Fire Executive Council, shall task the National Wildfire Coordinating Group with the duty to adjust training requirements to obtain a certification to serve in a supervisory role for a prescribed fire and any other positions determined to be necessary by the Secretaries— (1) in order to reduce the time required to obtain such a certification; and (2) such that significant experience, gained exclusively during a prescribed fire, is required to obtain such a certification. (d) Enhancing interoperability between Federal and non-Federal practitioners (1) Qualification databases and dispatch systems The Secretaries shall establish a collaborative process to create mechanisms for non-Federal-agency fire practitioners to be included in prescribed fire and wildfire resource ordering and reimbursement processes. (2) Partnership agreements The Secretaries shall— (A) develop partnership agreements for prescribed fire with all relevant State, Federal, Tribal, university, and nongovernmental entities that choose to be included in resource ordering and reimbursement processes under paragraph (1); (B) create agreements and structures necessary to include non-Federal-agency and other nontraditional partners in direct work with Federal agencies to address prescribed fires; and (C) treat any prescribed fire practitioner meeting applicable National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards as eligible to be included in statewide participating agreements.