PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] · D–OR
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 20, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-17 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Lifeline for First Responders Act would create a grant program supporting first responders’ mental health and their families. Eligible recipients would include fire services that supply emergency medical services, emergency medical services agencies, and dispatch centers. Grants could pay for counseling, suicide prevention, stress reduction, family support, and related outreach and training.
This Act may be cited as the Lifeline for First Responders Act.
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.
(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 emergency medical services 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.
The bill would add a new section 409 to title 23 of the United States Code. It would require the Secretary, acting through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Administrator, to establish the program and run it through that agency’s Office of Emergency Medical Services.
Chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 408 the following: 409. EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program
(a) Establishment The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, shall establish a grant program, to be known as the EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program
(b) Placement The Program shall be carried out through the Office of Emergency Medical Services of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Eligible grant recipients would be federal, state, Tribal, or local fire services that supply emergency medical services; emergency medical services agencies; and dispatch centers. Eligibility would not itself guarantee an award.
(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 emergency medical services agency; and (3) a dispatch center.
Grants could fund evidence-based stress reduction and mental health services; suicide prevention, intervention, and support after a suicide; and confidential counseling, peer support, and behavioral health services.
(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;
Grants could also fund family support services for spouses and children.
(d) Authorized uses A grant provided under the Program may be used for—
(4) family support services for spouses and children;
Other permitted grant uses would include outreach, efforts to reduce stigma, education, training, and technical assistance.
(d) Authorized uses A grant provided under the Program may be used for—
(5) outreach, stigma reduction, education, training, and technical assistance.
The bill would authorize $7.5 million for each fiscal year from 2028 through 2032. This would authorize future funding legislation; it would not itself provide that money.
(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.
The supplied action snapshot, updated August 20, 2026, records that the bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on August 17, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-20T13:36:19Z. 2026-08-17: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2026-08-17: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-17. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; absent accompanying materials prevent a broader determination of formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential carve-out or special exemption was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The program’s ordinary eligibility and intended beneficiaries do not alone constitute such a benefit. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 20, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI