I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1737 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the 

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Program through which the 

Secretary may make grants to qualified applicants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 23, 2023 

Mr. KIM of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. CAREY, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. 

MOLINARO, and Ms. PEREZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 

establish the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant 

Program through which the Secretary may make grants 

to qualified applicants, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Our First 

5 Responders Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES GRANT PRO3 GRAM.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

5 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall establish a program, to be known as 

7 the ‘‘Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Pro8 gram’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Pro9 gram’’), through which the Secretary shall award 

10 grants on a competitive basis to qualified applicants. 

11 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 

12 under the Program, a qualified applicant shall sub13 mit to the Secretary an application at such a time, 

14 in such manner, and containing such information as 

15 the Secretary may require, including the following: 

16 (A) A description of the financial need of 

17 the qualified applicant. 

18 (B) An analysis of the costs and benefits, 

19 with respect to improving medical transport and 

20 emergency medical services (referred to in this 

21 section as ‘‘EMS’’), of the activities to be car22 ried out through the grant. 

23 (3) JOINT APPLICATIONS.—A qualified appli24 cant may submit a joint application with one or 

25 more other qualified applicants under this sub26 section. 


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1 (4) PEER REVIEW OF GRANT APPLICATIONS.— 

2 The Secretary, after consultation with national 

3 qualified applicants, shall appoint representatives of 

4 volunteer, governmental, Tribal, for-profit, and non5 profit qualified applicants and entities to conduct 

6 peer review of applications. 

7 (5) SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS.—In award8 ing grants under the Program the Secretary shall 

9 consider each of the following: 

10 (A) The findings and recommendations of 

11 the peer reviews carried out under paragraph 

12 (4). 

13 (B) The degree to which an award will im14 prove the coverage, response times, and ability 

15 of qualified applicants to provide medical trans16 port and emergency medical services. 

17 (C) The extent of the need of an applicant 

18 for a grant under this subsection and the need 

19 to protect the United States as a whole. 

20 (D) Whether a qualified applicant has pre21 viously received Federal funding. 

22 (6) PRIORITIZATION AMONG FOR-PROFIT QUALI23 FIED APPLICANTS.—In awarding grants under the 

24 Program, the Secretary shall, in selecting among 

25 qualified applicants that operate for profit, give priVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:18 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1737.IH H1737

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1 ority to such applicants that are smaller for profit 

2 entities, determined on an annual basis based on the 

3 net profits of the entity and the number of employ4 ees hired during the preceding year. 

5 (b) PURPOSES.—Grants made under the Program 

6 may be used by recipient qualified applicants for the fol7 lowing purposes: 

8 (1) Maintaining, or, if appropriate, increasing, 

9 the number of trained front-line EMS responders, 

10 whether paid or volunteer, including providing sala11 ries and stipends. 

12 (2) Providing mental health programs for quali13 fied applicant personnel. 

14 (3) Covering or reimbursing costs associated 

15 with certification and recertification courses. 

16 (4) Obtaining resources, including purchasing 

17 personal protective equipment, uniforms, medicine, 

18 and medical supplies. 

19 (5) Constructing or modifying facilities in such 

20 a way so as to improve coverage, response time, and 

21 ability of qualified applicants to provide medical 

22 transport and emergency medical services. 

23 (6) Upgrading or purchasing EMS vehicles, 

24 communications equipment, and mapping equip25 ment. 


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1 (7) Establishing or supporting community 

2 paramedicine or mobile integrated healthcare initia3 tives. 

4 (c) ALLOCATION OF GRANT AWARDS.— 

5 (1) LIMITATION.— 

6 (A) FOR PROFIT.— 

7 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not more than two 

8 percent of grants awarded under the Pro9 gram may be made available to qualified 

10 applicants that operate for profit or to oth11 erwise support efforts to establish or pro12 vide emergency medical services, or med13 ical transport, for profit. 

14 (ii) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—A grant 

15 under the Program to such a for-profit 

16 qualified applicant (if singly) or to such 

17 qualified applicants (if a result of a joint 

18 application) or to otherwise so support 

19 such efforts shall be in an amount not to 

20 exceed $100,000. 

21 (iii) PURPOSES.—A qualified appli22 cant that operates for profit may use funds 

23 awarded through a grant under the Pro24 gram only for the purposes specified in 


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1 paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection 

2 (b). 

3 (B) TIME-BASED.—A for-profit qualified 

4 applicant (if singly) or qualified applicants (if a 

5 result of a joint application) awarded a grant 

6 under the Program may not apply for another 

7 such award for a period of three years. 

8 (2) FURTHER LIMITATION.—A grant under the 

9 Program to a not-for-profit qualified applicant or a 

10 joint application shall be in an amount not to exceed 

11 $300,000. 

12 (3) RESERVATION.—Not less than 20 percent 

13 of grants awarded under the Program shall be made 

14 available to qualified applicants in rural areas. 

15 (d) METRICS.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

16 Services shall develop metrics to assess the effectiveness 

17 of the Program in improving the coverage, response times, 

18 and ability of qualified applicants to provide medical 

19 transport and emergency medical services. 

20 (e) CLAW BACKS.—The Secretary of Health and 

21 Human Services shall make every available effort to re22 cover grant funds in case of noncompliance. To carry out 

23 this subsection, the Secretary shall establish a process 

24 through which notification is conveyed to qualified appli25 cants determined to be in noncompliance, and such organiVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:18 Apr 06, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1737.IH H1737

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1 zations are provided an opportunity to respond to such 

2 notification prior to the recovery of such funds. 

3 (f) ASSESSMENTS; REPORTS.—Not later than two 

4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act and not 

5 less frequently than biennially after, the Secretary of 

6 Health and Human Services shall— 

7 (1) conduct an assessment of the Program 

8 based on the metrics developed pursuant to sub9 section (d); and 

10 (2) submit to the Committee on Energy and 

11 Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 

12 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen13 sions of the Senate a report summarizing the find14 ings of the assessment and recommendations to 

15 strengthen the overall program. 

16 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

17 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health 

18 and Human Services— 

19 (1) for each of the first 5 fiscal years following 

20 the date of the enactment of this Act, $50,000,000 

21 to carry out the Program; and 

22 (2) for each of such fiscal years, $5,000,000 to 

23 provide technical assistance to qualified applicants 

24 completing and submitting applications. 

25 (h) REPORTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 of Health and Human Services, in consultation with 

4 the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and 

5 Medicaid Services, the Administrator of the Health 

6 Resources and Services Administration, the Assist7 ant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and 

8 EMS stakeholders, shall submit to Congress a report 

9 that— 

10 (A) details the challenges, disparities, and 

11 inadequacies in providing Federal, State, and 

12 private (including commercial insurers) reim13 bursement for medical transport and emergency 

14 medical services; and 

15 (B) provides recommendations for improve16 ment with respect to providing such reimburse17 ment. 

18 (2) QUALIFIED APPLICANTS.—Not later than 

19 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

20 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 

21 consultation with the Administrator of the Centers 

22 for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Adminis23 trator of the Health Resources and Services Admin24 istration, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 


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1 and Response, and EMS stakeholders, shall submit 

2 to Congress a report that— 

3 (A) describes the challenges specific to 

4 qualified applicants, including with respect to 

5 Federal, State, and private (including private 

6 insurers) reimbursement rates and policies; and 

7 (B) contains an action plan to address 

8 such challenges through grants and other ad9 ministrative action. 

10 (3) ESTABLISHING A FEDERAL EMS OFFICE.— 

11 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

13 Human Services, in consultation with the Adminis14 trator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

15 Services, the Administrator of the Health Resources 

16 and Services Administration, the Assistant Secretary 

17 for Preparedness and Response, and EMS stake18 holders, shall submit to Congress a report that as19 sesses the feasibility of establishing a Federal office 

20 to— 

21 (A) better advocate for EMS personnel, 

22 collect data, promote EMS education, research, 

23 and training; and 


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1 (B) implement recommendations and ac2 tion plans based on the findings in the reports 

3 under paragraphs (1) and (2). 

4 (i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) EMS ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘EMS or6 ganization’’ means a nongovernmental or govern7 mental entity that provides emergency medical serv8 ices. 

9 (2) EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.—The 

10 term ‘‘emergency medical services’’— 

11 (A) means resources used by a licensed en12 tity to deliver medical care outside of a medical 

13 facility under emergency conditions that occur 

14 as a result of the condition of the patient; and 

15 (B) includes services provided (either on a 

16 compensated or volunteer basis) at the location 

17 of the emergency or en route to, or at, a health 

18 care facility by an emergency medical services 

19 provider or other provider that is licensed or 

20 certified by the State involved as an emergency 

21 medical technician, a paramedic, or an equiva22 lent professional (as determined by the State). 

23 (3) MEDICAL TRANSPORT.—The term ‘‘medical 

24 transport’’ means the transportation, by ambulance, 

25 of sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated persons 


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1 who require emergency medical care to a health care 

2 facility, including a hospital, clinic, or alternative 

3 destination. 

4 (4) QUALIFIED APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘quali5 fied applicant’’ means— 

6 (A) an EMS organization; or 

7 (B) a State (or a political subdivision 

8 thereof), Indian Tribe, Tribal organization (as 

9 those terms are defined in section 4 of the In10 dian Self-Determination and Education Assist11 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), territory, or mu12 nicipality. 

13 (5) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ 

14 means— 

15 (A) a nonmetropolitan statistical area; 

16 (B) an area designated as a rural area by 

17 any law or regulation of a State; or 

18 (C) a rural census tract of a metropolitan 

19 statistical area (as determined under the most 

20 recent rural urban commuting area code as set 

21 forth by the Office of Management and Budg22 et). 

23 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State 

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1 to Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the 

2 Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. 

Æ 


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