Rep. Neguse introduces act to provide

Firefighters With Health Care

By Joe Neguse, US State Representative Redstone Review

New Mexico. It is in his memory that we continue the fight to address the challenges that have plagued the federal wildland workforce for decades.

This bill recognizes the heroic work our wildland firefighters do each and every day. And I am proud to announce that this Congress, I teamed up with Colorado Senator Michael Bennet to introduce this critical bill. Together, Senator Bennet and I are working to ensure that these hard-working individuals are paid a wage that reflects the value of their work. Our federal firefighters sacrifice so much, and they deserve fair pay, benefits, and the resources necessary to do their jobs.

Neguse

BOULDER – As many of you know, in Colorado and across the U.S., we no longer have wildfire seasons – we have wildfire years. And it is our federal wildland firefighting crews that bear the heavy burden every day of keeping us safe from these encroaching threats.

Earlier this month, I reintroduced Tim’s Act to provide our federal wildland firefighting workforce with a living wage, comprehensive health care, hard earned benefits, and more. The bill is named in honor of Tim Hart, a brave smokejumper from Cody, Wyoming, who tragically lost his life on May 24, 2021, while battling the Eicks Fire in

There was more progress on legislation related to wildland firefighters in the last Congress than over the past three decades. While we celebrate this effort, we also know we can do more. And that’s exactly that we will do. Onwards.

Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first African-American member of Congress in Colorado history. He serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.