Sec. 1701.
703 words·~3 min read·
/bill/117/hr/5305/eh/section-1701·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
If services performed by the designated employees under paragraph
(2)of this subsection at the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture during 2021 are determined by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as applicable, to be primarily related to emergency wildland fire suppression activities, any premium pay for such services shall be disregarded in calculating the aggregate of such employee’s basic pay and premium pay for purposes of a limitation under section 5547(a) of title 5, United States Code, or under any other provision of law, whether such employee’s pay is paid on a biweekly or calendar year basis. Any services during 2021 that generate payments payable in 2022 shall be disregarded in applying this subsection. The premium pay waiver under paragraph
(1)of this subsection shall apply to individuals serving as wildland firefighters and as fire management response officials, including regional fire directors, deputy regional fire directors, agency officials who directly oversee fire operations, and fire management officers, and individuals serving on incident management teams (IMTs), at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), at Geographic Area Coordinating Centers (GACCs), and at Operations centers. The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture shall provide a report to Congress detailing the number of positions, including by occupation, grade, and the aggregate pay by type of pay for each individual who receives pay authorized under subsection (a)(1). Any overtime pay for services described in subsection
(a)that is payable under an authority outside of title 5, United States Code, shall be disregarded in calculating any annual limit on the amount of overtime pay payable in 2021. Any pay that is disregarded under either subsection
(a)or
(b)shall be disregarded in calculating such employee’s aggregate pay for purposes of applying the limitation in section 5307 of title 5, United States Code, during 2021. Pay that is disregarded under subsection
(a)or
(b)shall not cause the aggregate of the employee’s basic pay and premium pay for the applicable calendar year to exceed the rate of basic pay payable for a position at level II of the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, as in effect at the end of such calendar year. For purposes of applying this subsection to an employee who would otherwise be subject to the premium pay limits established under section 5547 of title 5, United States Code, premium pay means the premium pay paid under the provisions of law cited in section 5547(a). For purposes of applying this subsection to an employee under a premium pay limit established under an authority other than section 5547 of title 5, United States Code, the agency responsible for administering such limit shall determine what payments are considered premium pay. For the purpose of applying this subsection, basic pay includes any applicable locality-based comparability payment under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, any applicable special rate supplement under section 5305 of such title, or any equivalent payment under a similar provision of law. This section shall take effect as if enacted on January 1, 2021. If application of this section results in the payment of additional premium pay to a covered employee of a type that is normally creditable as basic pay for retirement or any other purpose, that additional pay shall not— be considered to be basic pay of the covered employee for any purpose; or be used in computing a lump-sum payment to the covered employee for accumulated and accrued annual leave under section 5551 or section 5552 of title 5, United States Code, or other similar provision of law. Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly provide to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry, the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform, a framework to modernize the wildland firefighting workforce beginning in fiscal year 2022.