This legislation, titled the "Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act," aims to substantially improve the compensation and support systems for Federal wildland firefighters, including temporary, seasonal, and permanent positions within the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, as well as Tribal Firefighters. It establishes new special base rates of pay for these critical personnel, replacing the standard General Schedule rates with increases ranging from 42 percent for lower grades to 1.5 percent for higher grades, and applies comparable increases to prevailing rate employees.

A key provision introduces incident response premium pay, providing a daily rate of 450 percent of basic pay for employees deployed to qualifying incidents like wildfires or prescribed fires, with an annual cap of $9,000. This premium pay is distinct from basic pay for most other benefit calculations. The bill also includes special limitations on pay, allowing certain premium pay earned during emergency wildland fire suppression activities to be disregarded from aggregate pay caps, though total compensation cannot exceed Executive Level II rates.

To address the demanding nature of the work, the bill mandates paid rest and recuperation leave for covered employees immediately following qualifying incidents. Furthermore, it includes extensive health provisions, requiring the establishment of a Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database and a comprehensive mental health program by January 2026. This program will feature awareness campaigns, education, peer support, expansion of Critical Incident Stress Management, and a new dedicated mental health support service with unlimited sessions.

Federal wildland firefighters will also receive 7 consecutive days of annual mental health leave. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is directed to recognize post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological stress-related injuries for fire protection activities and to expand its Special Claims Unit to expedite claims. Retirement benefits are enhanced by allowing past service to be credited for FERS, expanding disability annuities for job-related diseases, and including overtime pay as basic pay for retirement calculations.

The legislation also mandates annual pay adjustments for wildland firefighters tied to the Consumer Price Index and requires a report on the comparability of their pay and benefits to non-Federal counterparts. It provides for hazardous duty pay for specific high-risk tasks, establishes a recruitment and retention bonus of at least $1,000 (adjusted annually by CPI), and offers a housing allowance for deployments over 50 miles from home. A voluntary tuition assistance program, providing at least $4,000 annually, is also created to support career transition.

Finally, the bill requires pay parity for Federal structural firefighters with the new compensation levels for wildland firefighters and establishes a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program. This program will provide comprehensive support to the next-of-kin of firefighters and wildland fire support personnel who are critically injured or killed in the line of duty, covering notifications, travel reimbursement, case management, and information on available benefits.