S. 4819

[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>