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H.B. 338

Failed

First Responder Health Amendments

HB0338S03 (Substitute)

Sen. Don L. Ipson
Sen. Don L. IpsonFloor Sponsor
View on le.utah.gov
H.B. 338Failed

First Responder Health Amendments

House
Senate
Governor

What This Bill Does

This bill amends requirements for providing health coverage and resources to first responders.

Key Provisions

This bill:

  • amends eligibility requirements for the Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Insurance Program;
  • requires the Department of Public Safety (department) to annually submit a report on first responder agencies' compliance with requirements to provide mental health resources to first responders and first responders' spouses to the:
    • Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee; and
    • State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice's public safety portal;
  • amends eligibility for receiving mental health resources for separated first responders and separated first responders' spouses;
  • creates the Mental Health Resources for First Responders Restricted Account (account) to provide funding for the department to provide certain mental health resources to eligible small first responder agencies;
  • provides a sunset date for grants to first responder agencies;
  • defines terms; and
  • makes technical and conforming changes.

Plain-Language Summary

AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.

Several changes to Utah law governing health benefits and mental health support for first responders are made by this bill. It updates 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 includes training and community engagement. The bill also creates a new restricted fund called the Mental Health Resources for First Responders Restricted Account, seeded with $800,000 in one-time state funds, which small first responder agencies (those with 10 or fewer employees, primarily volunteer-staffed, or located in small rural communities) can access for mental health services by contributing $25 per employed first responder annually. It expands 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 — can access mental health services for at least three years after separation, and extends that same access to their spouses. The Department of Public Safety is also required to annually report on agency compliance with mental health resource requirements to the Legislature's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.

Cosponsors (4)

M. Gwynn
J. Burton
J. Teuscher
C. Snider