Bill > HR5118

This bill, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, has several key provisions: 1. It provides pay parity for federal wildland firefighters, requiring a minimum rate of pay not less than GS-6 step 3 and locality pay, with annual adjustments to keep up with inflation. It also provides hazardous duty pay and mental health leave for federal wildland firefighters. 2. It authorizes over $1 billion in annual appropriations for salaries and expenses of Forest Service employees for wildfire preparedness and National Forest System management. 3. It establishes a 10-year National Wildfire Plan to be implemented by the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, including hazardous fuels reduction, ecosystem restoration, recreation and heritage programs, and expanded use of prescribed fire and managed wildfires. 4. It creates new grant programs and authorities to support Tribal biochar projects, community capacity building for land stewardship, and protecting inventoried roadless areas on national forests. 5. On the drought side, the bill authorizes over $700 million for water recycling and reuse projects, provides funding for Salton Sea improvements, authorizes $500 million to preserve the Colorado River system, and makes changes to increase Tribal access to WaterSMART program funds. 6. The bill also includes provisions related to desalination research, streamgage monitoring, drought planning for ecosystems and fisheries, and an open access evapotranspiration data program. Overall, the bill aims to improve preparedness, response, and resilience to wildfires and drought through a combination of workforce provisions, programmatic authorities and funding, and data and research initiatives.