FIRE Act

This bill sets fair work and safety rules for people in prison who fight fires. It also helps them find jobs after release and offers a way to clear certain records. People who do firefighting work while incarcerated would be covered by federal workplace safety rules. States and federal prisons must apply these protections and send yearly safety reports, starting two years after the law takes effect. It also makes clear they are employees under federal wage law, even in privately run prisons, and says room, board, or court fees cannot be counted as wages.

The bill uses funding to push states to adopt and enforce these protections. It reserves part of federal justice grants for safety programs, creates a new state grant program, and authorizes up to $100 million per year from 2026 through 2031. It also funds reentry programs that offer training, job placement, and mentoring for former incarcerated firefighters in the first 180 days after release. People who qualify can ask a court to expunge certain offenses after they finish their sentence; judges must grant it after seven years and may grant it after one year, with a lawyer provided if you cannot afford one. If granted, your legal status is restored, you generally do not have to disclose the cleared offense, and only limited, nonpublic records are kept for law enforcement; leaks can be punished by fines or up to a year in jail. These expungement rules apply to people convicted before, on, or after the law takes effect.

Key points

• Who is affected: People in jail or prison who do firefighting or emergency response work (in state, federal, or privately run facilities), and those leaving prison after doing this work.
• What changes: They are treated as employees for wage and hour rules, and room, board, and court fees cannot count as wages.
• What changes: Federal workplace safety protections now cover them; states and federal prisons must report on safety and injuries each year.
• What changes: States must certify they provide these protections; $400,000 is set aside each year from certain justice grants for safety programs.
• What changes: A new grant helps states update laws and enforcement; up to $100 million per year is authorized for 2026–2031.
• What changes: Reentry grants pay for training, job placement, and mentoring in the first 180 days after release.
• What changes: Courts can expunge certain offenses after sentence completion (mandatory after 7 years; possible after 1 year) and appoint a lawyer if needed.
• When: Safety reports start two years after enactment and repeat every year.
• When: Expungement rules apply to past and future convictions.