[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2220 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2220
To preserve access to emergency medical services.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 18, 2025
Ms. Perez (for herself, Mr. Finstad, Mr. Feenstra, Ms. Bonamici, Mr.
Lawler, and Mr. Harder of California) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in
addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To preserve access to emergency medical services.
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 ``Preserve Access to Rapid Ambulance
Emergency Medical Treatment Act of 2025'' or the ``PARA-EMT Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (in this
section referred to as ``EMTs'') provide care to ill or injured
people in emergency medical settings and are a vital component
of the Nation's Emergency Medical Services (in this section
referred to as ``EMS'') system.
(2) EMTs provide basic emergency medical care and
transportation for patients while paramedics provide advanced
emergency medical care such as intubation, oral and intravenous
drug administration, and other procedures.
(3) The United States EMS system is facing a crippling
workforce shortage, a long-term problem that has been building
for more than a decade.
(4) In 2019, the Health Resources and Services
Administration reported that by 2030, there would be a need for
an additional 42,000 EMTs and Paramedics to meet the nation's
demand for healthcare services.
(5) The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this
workforce shortage, with ambulance crews suffering the effects
of surging demand, burnout, fear of illness and stress on their
families.
(6) A 2021 survey of nearly 20,000 employees working at 258
EMS organizations found that overall turnover among paramedics
and EMTs ranges from 20 to 30 percent annually.
(7) With COVID-19 halting clinical and in-person trainings
for a significant period of time, the pipeline of new EMS staff
has been stretched even thinner.
SEC. 3. EMS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE PILOT PROGRAM.
Title XII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d et seq.)
is amended by inserting after section 1204 the following:
``SEC. 1205. EMS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE PILOT
PROGRAM.
``(a) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response, shall establish a pilot
program to award grants to eligible emergency medical services agencies
to support the recruitment and training of emergency medical
technicians and paramedics to improve access to, and enhance the
quality of, emergency medical services.
``(b) Application.--An eligible emergency medical services agency
seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible emergency medical services agency
receiving a grant under this section shall use funds received through
the grant to implement a new program or enhance an existing program
to--
``(1) recruit and retain emergency medical services
personnel, which may include volunteer personnel;
``(2) train emergency medical services personnel to obtain
and maintain licenses and certifications relevant to service in
an emergency medical services agency;
``(3) conduct courses and implement apprenticeship programs
that qualify graduates to serve in an emergency medical
services agency in accordance with State and local
requirements;
``(4) fund specific training to meet Federal or State
licensing or certification requirements;
``(5) develop new ways to educate emergency medical
services personnel through the use of technology-enhanced
educational methods;
``(6) establish wellness and fitness programs for emergency
medical services personnel to ensure that such personnel are
able to carry out their duties, including programs dedicated to
raising awareness of, and prevention of, job-related mental
health issues; or
``(7) train emergency medical services personnel to care
for people with mental and substance use disorders in emergency
situations.
``(d) Prioritization.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall prioritize eligible emergency medical services agencies
that--
``(1) emphasize the recruitment and training of youth,
particularly high school students, rural youth, and youth from
low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds;
``(2) develop and implement programs to assist veterans who
completed military emergency medical technician training while
serving in the Armed Forces of the United States to meet
certification, licensure, and other requirements applicable to
becoming an emergency medical technician or paramedic;
``(3) are small or are located in rural areas and serve
rural populations; or
``(4) address such other priorities as the Secretary
considers appropriate.
``(e) Allocation of Grants to Rural Emergency Medical Services
Agencies.--The Secretary shall ensure that not less than 20 percent of
the total number of grants under this section are made to emergency
medical services agencies located in rural areas.
``(f) Maximum Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant made under this
section to a single grant recipient shall not exceed $1,000,000.
``(g) Reports.--
``(1) Report to secretary.--An eligible emergency medical
services agency receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall
periodically submit to the Secretary a report evaluating the
activities supported by the grant.
``(2) Report to public.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate, and make publicly available, a
report on the Secretary's findings with respect to the success
of the program under this section in improving access to, and
enhancing the quality of, emergency medical services.
``(h) Definition.--In this section, the term `eligible emergency
medical services agency' means an entity that is--
``(1) licensed to deliver medical care outside of a medical
facility under emergency conditions that occur as a result of
the condition of the patient; and
``(2) delivers services (either on a compensated or
volunteer basis) by an emergency medical services provider or
other provider that is licensed or certified by the State
involved as an emergency medical technician, a paramedic, or an
equivalent professional (as determined by the State).
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there are
authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.
``(2) Administrative costs.--The Secretary may use not more
than 10 percent of the amount appropriated pursuant to
paragraph (1) for a fiscal year for the administrative expenses
of carrying out this section.''.
SEC. 4. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRAINING TO
MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING EMERGENCY MEDICAL
TECHNICIANS AND CIVILIAN PARAMEDICS.
Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 320B (42 U.S.C. 247d-11)
the following:
``SEC. 320C. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY MEDICAL
TRAINING TO MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING EMERGENCY
MEDICAL TECHNICIANS AND CIVILIAN PARAMEDICS.
``(a) Program.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) establish a program consisting of awarding
demonstration grants to States to cover transition costs in
order to assist veterans who completed robust military
emergency medical technician or paramedic training while
serving in the Armed Forces of the United States to meet
certification, licensure, and other requirements applicable to
becoming a civilian emergency medical technician or paramedic
in the State; and
``(2) in implementing such program, assist States in
honoring the service of such veterans who have completed
training through such service in the Armed Forces of the United
States and passed the respective National Registry of Emergency
Medical Technicians exam to ease the transition to the civilian
Nation's Emergency Medical Services workforce.
``(b) Use of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this section
shall use amounts of such grants to prepare and implement a plan to
assist with the transition of a veteran to becoming a civilian
emergency medical technician or paramedic as described in subsection
(a), including by establishing a grant program within the applicable
State agency responsible for emergency medical services to cover--
``(1) the costs of training, education, certification, and
credentialing by an accredited institution; and
``(2) fees for national testing for official certification
and State fees to acquire State licensure.
``(c) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Congress an annual
report on the program under this section.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.''.
SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN AND PARAMEDIC
WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall conduct a study on--
(1) the number of currently available emergency medical
technician and paramedic jobs, categorized by type of employer
(such as ambulance services, local governments other than
hospitals, and hospitals);
(2) the projected increase in available emergency medical
technician and paramedic jobs from 2025 through 2034,
categorized by type of employer;
(3) the percentage of available emergency medical
technician and paramedic jobs from 2025 through 2034 that are
expected to result from the need to replace workers who
transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force;
(4) the availability of appropriate training and education
programs in the United States sufficient to meet the projected
demand for emergency medical technician and paramedic jobs from
2025 through 2034; and
(5) the projected shortage of emergency medical technicians
and paramedics from 2025 through 2034.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to Congress a
report on the study conducted under subsection (a) together with such
recommendations that the Secretaries determine are appropriate to
address the projected shortage of emergency medical technicians and
paramedics, including whether Schedule A should be expanded to include
these occupations.
<all>