This bill amends requirements for providing health coverage and resources to first responders.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Several changes to Utah law governing health benefits and mental health support for first responders would be made by this bill. It would update eligibility rules for the Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Insurance Program, which provides health, dental, and life insurance to volunteer EMTs and paramedics, by shifting the participation threshold from responding to 20% of emergency calls to participating in 20% of "emergency medical services operations," a broader category that also counts training, standby duty, and community engagement. The bill would also create a new Mental Health Resources for First Responders Restricted Account, funded with $800,000 in one-time state money, that small first responder agencies (those with 10 or fewer employees, mostly volunteer-staffed, or located in smaller communities) could tap for mental health services by contributing $25 per employed first responder annually. It would expand mental health resource eligibility so that first responders who leave their agency for any reason other than misconduct or disciplinary action, rather than only those involved in a critical incident, could access mental health services for at least three years after separation, with the same extended access applying to their spouses. Finally, the bill would require the Department of Public Safety to annually report agency compliance with mental health resource requirements both to the Legislature's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee and to a state public safety data portal, and would set a 2027 sunset date for the existing grant program that funds these mental health resources.
Current version: HB0338S03 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 23
House Rules
House Committee
Feb 23
House Floor Vote
Feb 26
Senate Rules
Feb 27
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionJan 23
House Rules
House CommitteeFeb 23
House Floor VoteFeb 26
Senate RulesFeb 27
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
This bill amends requirements for providing health coverage and resources to first responders.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Several changes to Utah law governing health benefits and mental health support for first responders would be made by this bill. It would update eligibility rules for the Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Insurance Program, which provides health, dental, and life insurance to volunteer EMTs and paramedics, by shifting the participation threshold from responding to 20% of emergency calls to participating in 20% of "emergency medical services operations," a broader category that also counts training, standby duty, and community engagement. The bill would also create a new Mental Health Resources for First Responders Restricted Account, funded with $800,000 in one-time state money, that small first responder agencies (those with 10 or fewer employees, mostly volunteer-staffed, or located in smaller communities) could tap for mental health services by contributing $25 per employed first responder annually. It would expand mental health resource eligibility so that first responders who leave their agency for any reason other than misconduct or disciplinary action, rather than only those involved in a critical incident, could access mental health services for at least three years after separation, with the same extended access applying to their spouses. Finally, the bill would require the Department of Public Safety to annually report agency compliance with mental health resource requirements both to the Legislature's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee and to a state public safety data portal, and would set a 2027 sunset date for the existing grant program that funds these mental health resources.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ received from Senate
Clerk of the House
Senate/ to House
Clerk of the House
Senate/ strike enacting clause
Senate Secretary
LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0338S02
Released
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM