S4819Referred to Committee

Lifeline for First Responders Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-06-17
Introduced
9
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse
Democrat · RI · Senator
Votes with party: 82.5% (857 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/W000802

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (9)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

2026-06-17

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

The federal government would create a grant program to provide funding to states and local organizations for mental health support, wellness programs, and suicide prevention services aimed at emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and other first responders. These grants would help pay for training, counseling, peer support networks, and other resources to address the high rates of stress, depression, and suicide among people in these professions. The program would affect emergency services agencies, hospitals, and the first responders themselves who often face traumatic situations on the job.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Transportation and Public Works

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4819 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4819 To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish an EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 17, 2026 Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mr. Hawley, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. King, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Coons, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Bennet, and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish an EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Lifeline for First Responders Act''. SEC. 2. EMS AND FIRST RESPONDER WELLNESS GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In General.--Chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 408 the following: ``Sec. 409. EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (referred to in this section as the `Secretary'), shall establish a grant program, to be known as the `EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program' (referred to in this section as the `program'), to support first responder mental health, stress reduction, family services, and suicide prevention. ``(b) Placement.--The program shall be carried out through the Office of Emergency Medical Services of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ``(c) Eligible Entities.--An entity eligible to receive a grant under the program is-- ``(1) a Federal, State, Tribal, or local fire service that supplies emergency medical services; ``(2) an EMS agency; and ``(3) a dispatch center. ``(d) Authorized Uses.--A grant provided under the program may be used for-- ``(1) evidence-based stress reduction and mental health services; ``(2) suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention services; ``(3) confidential counseling, peer support, and behavioral health services; ``(4) family support services for spouses and children; and ``(5) outreach, stigma reduction, education, training, and technical assistance. ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program $7,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032.''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 408 the following: ``409. EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program.''. <all>
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