HR7996Referred to Committee

Linemen Legacy Act

Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both

Signed into Law

119th

Congress

2026-03-19

Introduced

Cosponsors

ⓘ

Type

Sponsor

Clay Higgins

Republican · LA · Representative

Votes with party: 91.7% (541 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/H001077

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (2)

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 →

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

2026-03-20

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureReferred To · 2026-03-19

Previously

Transportation and Infrastructure CommitteeReferred To · 2026-03-19

Plain-English Summary

This bill would likely establish protections or benefits for electrical linemen and other utility workers who respond to emergencies like storms and natural disasters. The measure would probably address workplace safety, compensation, or support for workers injured or killed while restoring power and other essential services during crises. It affects utility companies, linemen, and potentially their families.

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

Emergency Management

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] [H.R. 7996 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7996 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to clarify that utility line technicians qualify as emergency response providers. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 19, 2026 Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Norcross, and Mr. Bresnahan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to clarify that utility line technicians qualify as emergency response providers. 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 ``Linemen Legacy Act''. SEC. 2. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROVIDERS. Section 2(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101(6)) is amended-- (1) by striking ``includes Federal'' and inserting ``includes-- ``(A) Federal''; (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(B) utility line technicians responding to a major disaster or an emergency declared by the President under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191).''. <all>

Open clean-text view Read on Congress.gov →

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