S. 2015
National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025
Sponsor: Ron Wyden
5 cosponsors
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to increase the number and size of prescribed fires conducted on federal lands.
For 10 years, Interior and USDA must annually conduct prescribed fires on federal land so that the total acreage where prescribed fires are conducted is 10% greater than the previous fiscal year.
Interior and USDA must establish a collaborative prescribed fire program to provide financial assistance to eligible entities to conduct prescribed fires in priority landscapes.
Interior and USDA may enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with states, Indian tribes, counties, municipal governments, fire districts, nongovernmental organizations, or private entities to coordinate prescribed fires on federal land.
Interior and USDA must expand employment opportunities for prescribed fire practitioners, including by expanding hazard pay, supporting underrepresented groups, and establishing additional training centers.
To address the public health and safety risk of the expanded use of prescribed fire, the Environmental Protection Agency must coordinate with state, tribal, and local air quality agencies to support the environmental review of wildland fires.
Text of the bill
I Use of funds
II Facilitating implementation and outreach
III Reporting
I Use of funds
II Facilitating implementation and outreach
Where this section came from
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Jun 10, 2025 · Introduced in Senate Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Jun 10, 2025
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Sep 17, 2026 · Reported to Senate Marked up by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Dec 17, 2025 Reported by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sep 17 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
… 2 unchanged passages …
(A) Hazard pay.
(i) In general.
Each Federal employee in any classification series, as identified by the Secretaries,
shall
may
be entitled to be paid the appropriate differential under subsection (d) of section 5545 of title 5, United States Code, as if such employee was covered by such subsection, when such employee carries out work
on the site of a prescribed fire
directly related to the ignition, management, and control of
a
the
prescribed fire.
(ii) Regulations. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations to carry out this subparagraph.
… 2 unchanged passages …
(A) In general. The Secretaries shall
—
,
(i)
not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, establish at least
1
6
multiparty task
force
forces
of Federal employees and non-Federal entities
within
covering
each
geographically
Geographic
diverse
Area
areas
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
Not
Secretaries
later
may
than
noncompetitively
1
convert
year
a
after
Federal seasonal employee to a Federal permanent employee if— (A)
the
listed
date
job
of
duties
enactment
of
the
this
employee
Act,
include wildland firefighting; (B)
the
employee
Secretaries
received
shall
a
determine
rating
methods
of
for
at
converting
least
seasonal
Fully
firefighters
Successful
to
in
permanent
each
employees,
of
including
the
performance
activities
appraisals
that
of
the
employee
employees
for
would
the
be
3
engaged
most
in
recent
to
seasons
mitigate
of
wildfire
Federal
risk
employment
outside
of the
employee;
wildfire
and (C) the job duties and performance standards of the position into which the permanent employee converts emphasize implementing prescribed fires
season
.
… 5 unchanged passages …
(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.
… 7 unchanged passages …
(1) establish, operate, and facilitate
a
5
prescribed fire training
program
programs
or
center
centers
that
offers
offer
training in prescribed fire
within
in
each
geographically
Geographic
diverse
Area
areas
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
in
partnership
of
with
Indian Tribes.
… 9 unchanged passages …
What is a markup?
A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.
(a) Prescribed fire workforce
(1) Increasing workforce retention
(A) Hazard pay. Each Federal employee in any classification series, as identified by the Secretaries, may be entitled to be paid the appropriate differential under subsection (d) of section 5545 of title 5, United States Code, as if such employee was covered by such subsection, when such employee carries out work on the site of a prescribed fire directly related to the ignition, management, and control of the prescribed fire.
(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, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, establish at least 6 multiparty task forces of Federal employees and non-Federal entities covering geographically diverse areas to plan, lead, and support prescribed fire across ownership boundaries that are priorities at the landscape, region, State, or Federal level.
(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. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall determine methods for converting seasonal firefighters to permanent employees, including the activities that the employees would be engaged in to mitigate wildfire risk outside of the wildfire season.
(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) 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, 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 5 prescribed fire training programs or centers that offer training in prescribed fire in geographically diverse areas 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 in partnership with 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.
III Reporting; other matters