PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 12, 2009
Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prohibit any employee 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 serving as a volunteer firefighter or providing volunteer emergency medical services as part of a response to an emergency or major disaster. Excludes absences for which the employee: (1) is absent for more than 14 days per calendar year; (2) responds to an emergency or major disaster without being officially deployed in accordance with a coordinator national deployment system; or (3) fails to provide written verification within a reasonable period of time.
Allows employers to: (1) reduce the employee's regular pay for such time as the employee is absent; and (2) require 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.
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Gives such an employee a private cause of action for discrimination which violates this Act.
People & committees
Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] · D–DE
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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