First responders gain access to government pensions—closing a retirement gap

What it does

This bill amends federal tax and pension law to allow certain firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics employed by public safety agencies to participate in governmental pension plans, even when those agencies are separately incorporated nonprofit entities. Currently, such workers are often excluded from government pension systems because their employers are technically private nonprofits under contract with municipalities. The bill removes that barrier, enabling these first responders to access the same retirement benefits as other government employees.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is to expand pension-plan eligibility for a specific class of public-sector workers (first responders employed by contracted public safety agencies). It does not create new programs, appropriate funds, or impose restrictions—it removes a technical barrier to existing benefits.

What the text implies

• The bill permits but does not mandate inclusion of these workers; public safety agencies and municipalities retain discretion over whether to enroll them, potentially creating uneven coverage across jurisdictions.
• Pension liability for participating municipalities may increase if agencies elect to enroll workers retroactively or if enrollment rates are higher than anticipated, though the bill does not address funding mechanisms.
• The definition of 'emergency response providers' and 'substantially all of whose services' may create boundary disputes in practice—e.g., whether administrative staff or part-time workers qualify.

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

Who it affects

First responders—firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics—gain access to governmental pension systems, improving retirement security for workers in essential, often underpaid roles. The bill imposes no new costs on ordinary citizens and does not restrict any existing rights or protections; it simply removes a technical barrier that has excluded these workers from benefits available to other government employees.

Who stands to gain

• First responders (firefighters, EMTs, paramedics) employed by contracted public safety agencies
• Municipal and state pension systems (potential increase in plan assets and contribution bases)

Named in the bill

Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Employee Retirement Income Service Act of 1974, Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public safety agencies, Political subdivisions of states, Emergency response providers

Where it stands

8 cosponsors: 8 Republicans.

• Mar 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for…”

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

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $460,304 in lobbying spend. A filing names 43 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 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Gregory Murphy, the sponsor, reported $1,068,698 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• International Association of Fire Fighters — $380,304 on 2 filings
• International Association of Fire Chiefs — $70,000 on 2 filings
• National Volunteer Fire Council — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.