I 
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 consider-
ation 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 Representa-
tives 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: 
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(1) Paramedics and emergency medical techni-
cians (in this section referred to as ‘‘EMTs’’) pro-
vide care to ill or injured people in emergency med-
ical settings and are a vital component of the Na-
tion’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 administra-
tion, 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 Para-
medics to meet the nation’s demand for healthcare 
services. 
(5) The COVID–19 pandemic has further exac-
erbated this workforce shortage, with ambulance 
crews suffering the effects of surging demand, burn-
out, fear of illness and stress on their families. 
(6) A 2021 survey of nearly 20,000 employees 
working at 258 EMS organizations found that over-
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all turnover among paramedics and EMTs ranges 
from 20 to 30 percent annually. 
(7) With COVID–19 halting clinical and in-per-
son 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 WORK-
FORCE 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 emer-
gency medical services agencies to support the recruitment 
and training of emergency medical technicians and para-
medics 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 Sec-
retary may require. 
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‘‘(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 serv-
ices personnel, which may include volunteer per-
sonnel; 
‘‘(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 apprentice-
ship 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 tech-
nology-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, in-
cluding programs dedicated to raising awareness of, 
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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 emer-
gency 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 back-
grounds; 
‘‘(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, li-
censure, and other requirements applicable to be-
coming an emergency medical technician or para-
medic; 
‘‘(3) are small or are located in rural areas and 
serve rural populations; or 
‘‘(4) address such other priorities as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(e) ALLOCATION
OF GRANTS
TO RURAL EMER-
GENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCIES.—The Secretary 
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