I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2937 
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the 
detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among public 
safety telecommunicators. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2025 
Ms. KELLY of Illinois (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. TORRES of Cali-
fornia, Mr. NEGUSE, and Ms. SCHOLTEN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of 
mental health issues among public safety telecommunica-
tors. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Resources 
and Occupational Training for Emotional Crisis and 
Trauma in 911 Act’’ or the ‘‘PROTECT 911 Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. BEST PRACTICES AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR AD-
DRESSING MENTAL HEALTH IN PUBLIC SAFE-
TY TELECOMMUNICATORS. 
(a) BEST PRACTICES.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) develop and make publicly available evi-
dence-based best practices to identify, prevent, and 
treat posttraumatic stress disorder and co-occurring 
disorders in public safety telecommunicators; and 
(2) periodically reassess and update, as the Sec-
retary determines necessary, such best practices. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES FOR EDUCATING 
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ABOUT TREATING 
PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS.—The Secretary 
shall develop and make publicly available resources that 
may be used by the Federal Government and other entities 
to educate mental health professionals about— 
(1) the culture of emergency communications 
centers; 
(2) the different stressors experienced by public 
safety telecommunicators; 
(3) challenges encountered by retired public 
safety telecommunicators; and 
(4) evidence-based therapies for mental health 
issues common to public safety telecommunicators. 
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(c) CONSULTATION.—In developing best practices 
under subsection (a) and resources under subsection (b), 
the Secretary shall consult with— 
(1) public health experts; 
(2) mental health experts with experience 
studying suicide, posttraumatic stress disorder, and 
other illnesses associated with job-related stress; 
(3) clinicians with experience in diagnosing and 
treating mental health issues; and 
(4) relevant national nonprofit associations of 
public safety telecommunicators. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.— 
(1) EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.— 
The term ‘‘emergency communications center’’ 
means a facility that is designated to receive a 9– 
1–1 request for emergency assistance and perform 
one or more of the following functions: 
(A) Process and analyze 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
formation. 
(B) Dispatch appropriate emergency re-
sponse providers. 
(C) Transfer or exchange 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
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formation with other emergency communica-
tions centers and emergency response providers. 
(D) Analyze any communications received 
from emergency response providers. 
(E) Support incident command functions. 
(2) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 
The term ‘‘public safety telecommunicator’’ means a 
public safety telecommunicator as designated in de-
tailed occupation 43–5031 in the Standard Occupa-
tional Classification Manual of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget (2018), or any successor des-
ignation. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
PROGRAMS 
WITHIN 
EMERGENCY 
COMMU-
NICATIONS CENTERS. 
Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 320C. GRANTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND 
WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN EMERGENCY 
COMMUNICATIONS CENTERS. 
‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants to State, local, and regional emergency communica-
tions centers and other eligible entities for the purpose of 
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establishing or enhancing behavioral health and wellness 
programs. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this section shall use funds received through 
the grant— 
‘‘(1) to establish evidence-based behavioral 
health and wellness programs for emergency commu-
nications centers to support public safety tele-
communicators, including programs dedicated to 
raising awareness of, preventing, and mitigating job- 
related mental health issues; 
‘‘(2) to establish or enhance peer-support be-
havioral health and wellness programs; 
‘‘(3) to acquire materials or instructors to pro-
vide such training; and 
‘‘(4) to disseminate such information and mate-
rials as are necessary to carry out a evidence-based 
behavioral health and wellness program. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.— 
The term ‘emergency communications center’ means 
a facility that is designated to receive a 9–1–1 re-
quest for emergency assistance and perform one or 
more of the following functions: 
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‘‘(A) Process and analyze 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
formation. 
‘‘(B) Dispatch appropriate emergency re-
sponse providers. 
‘‘(C) Transfer or exchange 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
formation with other emergency communica-
tions centers and emergency response providers. 
‘‘(D) Analyze any communications received 
from emergency response providers. 
‘‘(E) Support incident command functions. 
‘‘(2) OTHER
ELIGIBLE
ENTITY.—The term 
‘other eligible entity’ means a nonprofit organization 
with expertise and experience with respect to the 
health and wellness of public safety telecommunica-
tors, including State, local, and regional 9–1–1 au-
thorities and State, regional, and national public 
safety communications associations. 
‘‘(3) PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND 
WELLNESS PROGRAM.—The term ‘peer-support be-
havioral health and wellness program’ means pro-
grams that use public safety telecommunicators to 
serve as peer counselors or provide training to public 
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safety telecommunicators to serve as such peer coun-
selors. 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 
The term ‘public safety telecommunicator’ means a 
public safety telecommunicator as designated in de-
tailed occupation 43–5031 in the Standard Occupa-
tional Classification Manual of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget (2018), or any successor des-
ignation.’’. 
Æ 
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