Sponsors (4)
The bill creates a targeted federal grant program to expand mental-health, suicide-prevention, and family-support services for first responders, but limited funding and administrative/financial barriers may restrict how many and which communities actually benefit.
First responders (firefighters, EMS, dispatch, and related healthcare responders) gain funded access to confidential counseling, peer support, behavioral-health services, and suicide-prevention programs to address job-related stress, trauma, and suicide risk.
Local, state, tribal, and other jurisdictions receive a dedicated federal funding stream ($7.5M/year for FY2028–2032) to support sustained wellness programs for EMS and first responders.
Grants can fund outreach, stigma-reduction, education, and training to increase awareness of and uptake of mental-health resources among responders, improving early help-seeking and program effectiveness.
The authorized funding level ($7.5M/year) is modest relative to national need and likely will not cover program demand across all jurisdictions, leaving many departments without assistance.
Smaller, rural, and resource-limited jurisdictions may lack the administrative capacity to apply for and manage grants, producing uneven access to services and concentrating benefits in better-resourced areas.
Recipients may face matching requirements, reporting, or other compliance obligations that impose administrative and financial costs on local and state agencies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes an NHTSA grant program funding mental health, suicide-prevention, family support, and related services for first responders with $7.5M/year authorized for FY2028–2032.
Official title: To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish an EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 17, 2026 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress August 17, 2026
Creates a new federal grant program within NHTSA's Office of Emergency Medical Services to fund mental health, stress reduction, family support, and suicide-prevention services for first responders. The program makes Federal, State, Tribal, and local fire services that provide EMS, EMS agencies, and dispatch centers eligible for grants to provide counseling, peer support, training, outreach, and technical assistance. Authorizes $7,500,000 per year for fiscal years 2028 through 2032 to support evidence-based behavioral health services, confidential counseling, family services for spouses and children, stigma reduction, and related activities aimed at improving first responder wellbeing and preventing suicide.