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HB 676PENNSYLVANIASession 2025-2026State Billin committee

Pennsylvania Establishes First Responder Resilience Grant Program to Fund Mental Health Coaches

Original title: An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, establishing the First Responder Resilience Grant Program and the First Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund; and imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Last action · February 20, 2025: Referred to VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, Feb. 20, 2025Sponsors: Tarik Khan and 13 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

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What This Bill Would Do

Pennsylvania establishes a competitive grant program within the Emergency Management Agency to help first responder organizations pay for embedding mental health es, funded by a dedicated nonlapsing state treasury fund.

Why it matters

First responder organizations can apply for state grants to cover personnel costs and overtime associated with hiring mental health professionals, utilizing money gathered from state appropriations, federal funds, and donations.

Background

First responders frequently experience high levels of occupational stress and trauma, prompting legislative efforts nationwide to improve mental health support resources. context
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) coordinates state response to emergencies and disasters. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

First responder organizations

Eligible to apply for competitive grants to cover personnel costs and overtime for embedding resilience coaches.

Directly affected

First responders

Gain access to evidence-based mental health tools, peer mentoring, and resilience coaching funded by the grants.

Directly affected

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Must implement and administer the program, review applications, distribute grants, develop educational materials, and publish annual reports.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to apply for the resilience grants?

First responder organizations, defined as entities in the Commonwealth for which a first responder is employed or volunteers for service, are eligible to apply.

What costs can the grant money be used for?

Grants are intended to defray personnel costs, including salaries and overtime, involved in embedding es into first responder organizations.

What happens to unused money in the fund at the end of the fiscal year?

Any money remaining in the fund at the end of each fiscal year, including interest and earnings, does not revert to the General Fund and remains in the program fund.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

1 action

Feb 20, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, Feb. 20, 2025

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Dedicated Mental Health Funding for First Responders

The bill creates a dedicated, nonlapsing funding stream specifically earmarked for embedding resilience coaches and mental health tools within emergency response organizations.

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency First Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund

Connected Entities

General Fund, First Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund, State Treasury and 2 more

otherGeneral Fund“Fund where program money does not revert at the end of the fiscal year.”Map →

otherFirst Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund“A nonlapsing fund in the State Treasury to carry out the program.”Map →

locationState Treasury“Holds the First Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund.”Map →

OrganizationPennsylvania Emergency Management Agency“Tasked with implementing and administering the grant program and fund.”Map →

otherFirst Responder Resilience Grant Program“Established to award grants to first responder organizations for resilience coac”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.palegis.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

What This Bill Would Do

Who It Would Affect

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

News Coverage

Where This Stands

Procedural history

Version history

Lobbying Activity

Full breakdown

Sponsors

Discoveries

Dedicated Mental Health Funding for First Responders

Connected Entities

Sources

Analysis Score

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