What This Bill Does
This bill would create a federal grant program to help emergency medical services and other first responder agencies support the health and well-being of their workforce. The grants would be aimed at helping EMS personnel, firefighters, and related responders access wellness resources such as mental health support, stress reduction, and injury-prevention programs. Because it is an amendment to title 23 of the U.S. Code, the program would be built into the federal transportation-law framework that often funds safety-related programs. The main beneficiaries would be local emergency response agencies and the workers who serve in those jobs.
- Creates an EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program.
- Uses title 23 of the U.S. Code, tying the program to federal transportation law.
- Targets emergency medical services and related first responder agencies.
- Aims to fund wellness support, likely including mental health and retention measures.
- Would operate through federal grants rather than a direct entitlement.
Who This Bill Affects
If you work in EMS or another first responder field, this bill could make it easier for your agency to pay for wellness supports such as mental-health services, peer support, or burnout-prevention programs. For most other people, the effect is indirect: it could improve emergency response staffing and readiness in the communities that use these grants, while also drawing on federal funds that are spread across competing priorities.
See how this bill affects you — sign in for a personalized analysisWho Supports & Opposes This
- EMS crews and paramedics They face repeated trauma, long hours, and high burnout rates. Federal grants could help agencies pay for wellness services that improve retention and keep experienced personnel on the job.
- Small local fire and rescue departments Many local agencies cannot afford comprehensive mental-health or peer-support programs on their own. A grant program would help level the playing field between large departments and smaller ones with tighter budgets.
- Public safety and emergency-response managers Better responder wellness can reduce sick leave, turnover, and safety incidents. Agencies view prevention as a practical investment in operational readiness.
- Fiscal conservatives and budget watchdogs They may argue that another grant program adds federal spending and administrative overhead without guaranteeing measurable results. They may prefer state or local governments to fund wellness programs themselves.
- Taxpayers concerned about program duplication Some may question whether this duplicates existing mental-health, workplace-safety, or public-health funding streams. They may want tighter limits on what counts as eligible wellness spending.
- Some local governments Even grant programs can impose application, reporting, and compliance burdens. Smaller agencies may worry that the paperwork could be difficult to manage or that funding will not be sustained over time.
Key Implications
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““establish an EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program””
This would create a dedicated federal funding stream for responder wellness initiatives. In practice, it would let agencies seek money for programs they might not be able to afford out of local budgets.
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““amend title 23, United States Code””
Placing the program in federal transportation law usually means it would be administered through an existing federal grant structure. That can speed implementation, but it also means agencies would have to fit within federal eligibility and reporting rules.
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““First Responder Wellness””
The bill treats wellness as part of the public-safety mission, not just an employee perk. That can expand support for counseling, peer assistance, stress management, and related services.
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““and for other purposes””
This language gives the bill room to include related administrative or technical changes beyond the core grant program. Those additions often affect how the program is funded, defined, or managed.
Latest Status
June 17, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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