Congress funds emergency medical services workforce crisis—$70M to train paramedics and EMTs

What it does

This bill creates a federal grant program to help emergency medical services (EMS) agencies recruit, train, and retain paramedics and EMTs, addressing a documented workforce shortage. It authorizes $50 million annually (2026–2030) for EMS agencies to fund training, apprenticeships, wellness programs, and mental health education, with at least 20% of grants reserved for rural areas; establishes a separate $20 million annual program to help military veterans transition their combat medical training to civilian EMT/paramedic certification; and directs the Labor and Health departments to study the EMS workforce gap and report recommendations to Congress within one year.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a federal grant program to address a documented workforce shortage in emergency medical services. It is straightforward public health infrastructure investment with no hidden provisions or private carve-outs.

What the text implies

• The bill's success depends on appropriations actually being enacted; authorization alone does not guarantee funding. If Congress fails to appropriate the authorized amounts, the program will be underfunded or stillborn.
• The study requirement (Section 5) may lead to recommendations to expand Schedule A (expedited federal hiring) to include EMTs/paramedics, which could reshape how federal agencies recruit and hire EMS personnel—a downstream policy shift not explicitly stated in the bill.
• By prioritizing youth recruitment and apprenticeships, the bill may create a pipeline effect that gradually shifts EMS from volunteer-based to more professionalized, compensated models—a structural change to how local EMS systems operate.
• The 20% rural set-aside is a floor, not a ceiling; rural agencies could receive more if they apply competitively, but the guarantee ensures rural areas are not shut out by larger urban competitors.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill directly addresses a documented public health crisis—a severe shortage of paramedics and EMTs that delays emergency response and threatens access to life-saving care. Citizens in underserved and rural areas stand to benefit from improved EMS availability and response times. The program prioritizes recruitment from disadvantaged communities and youth, and includes mental health support for EMS workers, which improves both workforce stability and quality of care.

Who stands to gain

• Emergency medical services agencies (public and nonprofit)
• Accredited EMS training institutions
• State health departments and EMS regulatory bodies

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Department of Labor (DOL), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, State emergency medical services agencies, Veterans Affairs (implicit, via veteran transition focus)

Where it stands

29 cosponsors: 22 Democrats, 7 Republicans.

• Mar 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

7 lobbying clients named this bill on 13 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,342,304 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 86% of bills with at least one filing.

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the sponsor, reported $927,619 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Ambulance Association — $650,000 on 2 filings
• International Association of Fire Fighters — $380,304 on 2 filings
• American Ambulance Association — $140,000 on 2 filings
• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (naemt) — $62,000 on 2 filings
• Falck USA — $40,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.