Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens disaster response by formally recognizing utility line technicians and removing statutory ambiguity for federal responders, but it widens program eligibility and imposes administrative and potential fiscal costs to implement those changes.
Utility line technicians and the communities they serve will be treated as emergency responders during major Stafford Act disasters, giving those technicians formal access to DHS programs and coordinated federal response efforts to speed power restoration and reduce outage impacts.
Federal emergency responder coverage is clarified by defining "Federal" in statute, reducing legal ambiguity about which federal personnel and programs apply during declared disasters.
Broader eligibility that explicitly includes utility line technicians could expand access to DHS programs and grant-funded assistance, potentially increasing costs borne by taxpayers.
Expanding who counts as an emergency responder will require DHS, state and local governments, and utilities to update policies, training, and administrative procedures, creating short-term implementation burdens and coordination costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Clay Higgins · Last progress March 19, 2026
Amends the Homeland Security Act definition of “emergency response providers” by (1) clarifying that clause (A) refers to Federal emergency response providers and (2) explicitly adding utility line technicians who respond to major disasters or emergencies declared by the President. The change is a definitional update; it does not create new funding or new duties but can affect who is recognized as an emergency responder under laws and programs that rely on that definition.