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Appropriations committee advances wildfire staffing, retirement and hazard-pay bills with amendments
Summary
The Joint Appropriations Committee amended and approved a wildland fire suppression module appropriation (26LSO0310) that increased funding and added a regional manager, and it adopted two additional forestry bills on retirement portability (26LSO0301) and paid leave/hazard pay (26LSO0302) with a narrow recorded opposition on two votes.
The Joint Appropriations Committee amended and approved multiple bills aimed at improving state wildfire response capacity, workforce retention and firefighter compensation.
Tamara Ravelli of Legislative Service Office presented working drafts for three related bills. The committee first reviewed a smoke-buster/inmate module leader bill (26LSO0311) that would authorize two full‑time positions and $750,000 in total funding; members asked staff to refine the fiscal note and tabled further action to permit additional analysis.
The committee then took up 26LSO0310, the wildland fire suppression module. LSO described the bill as authorizing 12 positions and an initial appropriation; committee members proposed and adopted amendments to specify one full‑time regional fire manager and one module leader among the positions and to convert seasonal…
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