H.B. 338
FailedFirst Responder Health Amendments
HB0338S03 (Substitute)
First Responder Health Amendments
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
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)
H.B. 338
FailedFirst Responder Health Amendments
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
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)
Votes
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Documents
Floor Debates
Committee Hearings
Other Versions
Subjects
Action History34
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 Mar 26, 2026, 9:40 PM
