Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema Introduces A Bi-Partisan Bill To Make Wildland Firefighter Raises Permanent

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema has introduced the bi-partisan Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which would secure the pay raise wildland firefighters received last year, that came out of the Infrastructure Law. Sinema tells KAFF News that in the law, “I was able to include over eight-billion dollars in funding for wildland management.” She adds, “it also included funding to give a pay raise for federal wildland firefighters.” The raise went into effect last year. However, more action was needed this year. She says, “the funding (for the raises) runs out October 1st. So I’ve introduced new legislation that maintains that funding so they don’t see a devastating paycut.” Sinema says this bill will continue to “strengthen Arizona’s ability to prevent, prepare for and mitigate wildfires by making the firefighter pay raise permanent. According to the Government Accountability Office, there are nearly 19-thousand federal wildland firefighters currently employed by the federal government.