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H.R.3949 / 109th Congress

Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act

Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Sep 29, 2005

Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Prohibits any person from being terminated, demoted, or discriminated against in the terms or conditions of employment because the employee is absent or late as a result of responding as a volunteer firefighter or performing volunteer emergency medical services. Limits applicable absences to 14 days per calendar year.

Allows employers to: (1) withhold the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) request the employee to provide written verification from the supervising Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state, or local official that such employee responded in an official capacity at a specified time and date.

Requires such an employee to make a reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or late.

Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.

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Who introduced it

Rep. Castle, Michael N. [R-DE-At Large] · R–DE

Committees

  • Education and Workforce Committee
69 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Mar 23, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze H.R.3949 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.3949 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.3949 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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