Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (20)
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-Pennsylvania-1]
- Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-Tennessee-1]
- Rep. Kustoff, David [R-Tennessee-8]
- Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-Minnesota-8]
- Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-New York-2]
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-Nebraska-2]
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-Massachusetts-8]
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-Washington-10]
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-Hawaii-2]
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-Oregon-6]
- Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-District of Columbia]
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-Pennsylvania-15]
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-Michigan-12]
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-California-31]
- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-Texas-14]
- Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-Nevada-2]
- Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-Arizona-7]
- Rep. Cole, Tom [R-Oklahoma-4]
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-North Carolina-1]
- Rep. Carson, André [D-Indiana-7]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would direct the Office of Management and Budget to change how public safety telecommunicators are classified in the federal job classification system. In simple terms, it would recognize 911 dispatchers and similar workers as part of the protective service field. The bill says these workers do much more than pass messages between callers and emergency responders: they help calm people in crisis, gather life-saving information, guide callers through dangerous situations, and support police, fire, and medical teams during emergencies. Supporters of the bill say this change would better reflect the important, high-stress, and often trauma-filled work these professionals do.
- The bill is called the “911 SAVES Act” and it focuses on public safety telecommunicators, such as 911 call takers and dispatchers.
- It says these workers should be listed as a protective service occupation in the Standard Occupational Classification system, which is used by the federal government for job data and statistics.
- The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to make this change within 30 days after the law takes effect.
- Congress says the current classification does not fully match the real duties of these workers, especially their role in emergencies, crisis calls, and situations that involve danger or trauma.
Official Summaries
Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act of 2025 or the 911 SAVES Act
This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to categorize public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification system no later than 30 days after the enactment of this bill. (The Standard Occupational Classification system is a federal statistical standard used by federal agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data.)
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 637 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 637
To require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to
review and make certain revisions to the Standard Occupational
Classification System, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 22, 2025
Mrs. Torres of California (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education
and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to
review and make certain revisions to the Standard Occupational
Classification System, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Accurate Views of
Emergency Services Act of 2025'' or the ``911 SAVES Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Public Safety Telecommunicators play a critical role in
emergency response.
(2) The work Public Safety Telecommunicators perform goes
far beyond merely relaying information between the public and
first responders.
(3) When responding to reports of missing, abducted, and
sexually exploited children, the information obtained and
actions taken by Public Safety Telecommunicators form the
foundation for an effective response.
(4) When a hostage taker or suicidal person calls 9-1-1,
the first contact is with the Public Safety Telecommunicator
whose negotiation skills can prevent the situation from getting
worse.
(5) During active shooter incidents, Public Safety
Telecommunicators coach callers through first aid and give
advice to prevent further harm, all while collecting vital
information to provide situational awareness for responding
officers.
(6) And when police officers, firefighters, and Emergency
Medical Technicians are being shot at, their calls for help go
to Public Safety Telecommunicators.
(7) They are often communicating with people in great
distress, harm, fear, or injury, while employing their
experience and training to recognize a critical piece of
information.
(8) In fact, there have been incidents in which Public
Safety Telecommunicators, recognizing the sound of a racked
shotgun, have prevented serious harm or death of law
enforcement officers who would have otherwise walked into a
trap.
(9) This work comes with an extreme emotional and physical
impact that is compounded by long hours and the around-the-
clock nature of the job.
(10) Indeed, research has suggested that Public Safety
Telecommunicators are exposed to trauma that may lead to the
development of posttraumatic stress disorder.
(11) Recognizing the risks associated with exposure to
traumatic events, some agencies provide Critical Incident
Stress Debriefing (CISD) teams to lessen the psychological
impact and accelerate recovery for Public Safety
Telecommunicators and first responders, alike.
(12) The Standard Occupational Classification system is
designed and maintained solely for statistical purposes, and is
used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers and
jobs into occupational categories for the purpose of
collecting, calculating, analyzing, or disseminating data.
(13) Occupations in the Standard Occupational
Classification are classified based on work performed and, in
some cases, on the skills, education, or training needed to
perform the work.
(14) Classifying public safety telecommunicators as
Protective Service Occupations would correct an inaccurate
representation in the Standard Occupational Classification,
recognize these professionals for the lifesaving work they
perform, and better align the Standard Occupational
Classification with related classification systems.
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF STANDARD OCCUPATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall not later
than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, categorize
public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation
under the Standard Occupational Classification System.
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