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Daines Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Train and Support Montana’s Wildland Firefighters

May 16, 2025

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the bipartisan “Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025” to support specialized wildland firefighter training. The bill will support Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers and allow the next generation of Montanans receive access to the resources they need to become highly skilled wildland firefighters. “Montana and many states across the west face devastating wildfire seasons year after year. This legislation will invest in our Montana Job Corps Centers so that more students have access to the top-notch training and resources they need to enter the workforce as our next wildland firefighters. I’m proud to

Daines Introduces Bill to Make Increased Wildland Firefighters’ Pay Permanent

January 17, 2025

U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced his bipartisan “Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act” to maintain the pay raise secured for Montana wildland firefighters in Daines’ bipartisan “Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act” that was signed into law in 2021. “Montana’s brave wildland firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect our lands and our communities. I’m proud of this bipartisan, commonsense legislation that will make their well-earned pay raise permanent, and I’ll always be fighting for more ways to support our selfless Montana heroes,” said Daines. Read the bill text HERE. Background: The “Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act” would permanently secure

Daines Urges Biden Administration to Withdraw Costly, Burdensome Mandate on Montana Firefighters, Sheriffs

August 23, 2024

U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calling for the withdrawal of its Emergency Response Standard rule which would impose more than $14,000 in unfunded mandates on volunteer fire departments in Montana. Daines emphasized the immediate negative impacts this rule will have on fire and rescue operations in Montana. Daines wrote in the letter: “Montana’s vast rural and forested landscape provides unique challenges for the small volunteer and career fire departments who serve on the frontlines every day, and especially during wildfire season. These departments, despite facing an ever-growing list of challenges, always

Daines, Lankford Introduce Bill to Streamline Ability to Hire Wildland Firefighters

November 9, 2023

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the “Direct Hire to Fight Fires Act” that would provide the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior (DOI) permanent Direct Hire Authority to streamline the hiring process for skilled personnel in the firefighting or firefighting support capacity. The bill also directs the Forest Service and DOI to identify policies and propose changes to reduce the time and complexity of hiring wildland firefighters and support personnel. “Year after year, our Montana communities are devastated by wildfires and our brave firefighters’ response to these fires protects lives and our public

Daines Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Raise Overtime Pay Cap for Wildland Firefighters

November 2, 2023

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines helped introduce bipartisan legislation to permanently raise the caps on overtime premium pay for federal wildland firefighters. The “Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act” would increase these overtime pay caps to appropriately compensate Forest Service and Department of the Interior wildland firefighters for the work they do. Despite risking their lives and traveling cross-country for months at a time to protect American communities and forests from catastrophic wildfires, many of the more than 11,000 wildland firefighters live paycheck to paycheck. This has contributed to a firefighter workforce shortage — already, 20 percent of Forest Service permanent firefighter positions are

Daines Calls on Senate Leadership to Support Montana Wildland Firefighters, Protect Increased Pay

September 26, 2023

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a group of bipartisan senators in urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to avoid mass resignations of Montana wildland firefighters and promptly pass their bipartisan “Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act.” Daines secured a pay raise for federal wildland firefighters in his “Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act” that will expire on October 1. “Due to the dangers that wildfires pose to our forests and communities, a lack of action to ensure the fair treatment of our federal wildland firefighting workforce would jeopardize national security. Therefore, we request that

Daines Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Make Pay Raise for Wildland Firefighters Permanent

July 14, 2023

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines helped introduce the bipartisan “Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act”to maintain the pay raise secured for Montana wildland firefighters in Daines’ bipartisan “Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act” that was signed into law in 2021. Daines’ “Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act” which was also signed into law in 2021 and required the Office of Personnel Management to create a job series for wildland firefighters that recognized the dangerous work they do and also helped pave the way for this critical boost in compensation. “As fire season devastates Montana communities year after year, Montana wildland firefighters put everything on the line to protect Montana families and towns. I was glad to work with my colleagues across

Daines Calls for Passage of bipartisan 9th Circuit Cottonwood fix, highlights efforts to support wildland firefighters at Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

June 8, 2023

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today called attention to the serious threat of wildfires as smoke covers East Coast skies and highlighted the importance of passing his full and permanent fix for the 9th Circuit Cottonwood decision. Click HERE to download his remarks. Daines: When you woke up this morning in Washington, you might have opened your windows up and heard the birds coughing outside. It’s no secret that wildfire season is upon us. My guess is that folks on the East Coast are already sick of the smoke. We’re already hearing about ground stops at the Philadelphia airport,

Daines talks wildfire at firefighters conference in Bozeman

May 23, 2023

Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle Republican Sen. Steve Daines addressed expectations on first responders, wildfire and the Cottonwood decision at the Montana Professional Firefighters Convention in Bozeman Monday. The senator opened his remarks to a room full of firefighters from across the state by describing how Bozeman and Gallatin County have changed over the years. Daines said that the area has grown since he grew up in Bozeman — now there are more than 50,000 people in the city and more than 100,000 in Gallatin County. “The expectations of people that we serve together have changed a lot,” Daines said. Daines

Daines Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Boost Specialized Wildland Firefighter Training at Montana Civilian Conservation Centers

April 21, 2023

U.S. SENATE—U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the bipartisan “Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act” to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer specialized training, specifically wildland firefighter training, to Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students. This would create a pipeline for young Montanans to enter into careers fighting fires and caring for public lands. “As Montana faces devastating wildfires season after season and the forestry sector continues to face labor shortages, we need to be doing everything we can to ensure we have an experienced team of wildland firefighters to protect our local communities,” Daines said. “Investing in our

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