What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Labor to update the Standard Occupational Classification System so that dual-role firefighter/EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and firefighter/paramedics are properly counted as emergency medical services workers. The bill also requires the Secretary of Labor to report to Congress on how these changes were made.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dual-role firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics whose work will be more accurately counted.
Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Labor must revise the firefighter job classification in the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System to include separate categories for firefighters, firefighter/EMTs, firefighter/paramedics, and firefighters all other within 120 days after the law is enacted (Sec. 3)
- The Secretary of Labor must submit a report to Congress within 270 days of enactment describing the actions taken in 2015 to expand the definition of Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics and describing how the firefighter classification changes were implemented (Sec. 4)
What Changes
The Standard Occupational Classification System will be revised so that dual-role firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics are listed as separate job categories instead of being grouped only under the firefighter category.
Important Definitions
EMS: Emergency medical services, the workforce that provides critical emergency response.
EMTs: Emergency medical technicians.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 1115
To require the Secretary of Labor to revise the Standard Occupational Classi-
fication System to accurately count the number of emergency medical
services practitioners in the United States.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 30, 2023
Mr. CASEY (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to revise the Standard
Occupational Classification System to accurately count
the number of emergency medical services practitioners
in the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EMS Counts Act of
4
2023’’.
5
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6
Congress finds the following:
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•S 1115 IS
(1) Emergency medical services (referred to in
1
this Act as ‘‘EMS’’) personnel provide a critical role
2
in emergency response. The EMS workforce consists
3
of a diverse group of health care practitioners, in-
4
cluding—
5
(A) paramedics, emergency medical techni-
6
cians (referred to in this Act as ‘‘EMTs’’), and
7
dual-role firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/para-
8
medics; and
9
(B) volunteer personnel serving in each of
10
the roles described in subparagraph (A).
11
(2) EMS is an integral component of the re-
12
sponse capacity of the United States to disasters
13
and public health crises, such as outbreaks of infec-
14
tious diseases, bombings, mass shootings, earth-
15
quakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. EMS personnel
16
respond to more than 22,000,000 emergency calls
17
each year including strokes, heart attacks, cardiac
18
arrest, and trauma.
19
(3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles in-
20
formation on the number of individuals working in
21
roles across the entire United States workforce. The
22
Bureau of Labor Statistics completes this work by
23
maintaining the Standard Occupational Classifica-
24
tion system, which classifies workers and jobs into
25
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•S 1115 IS
occupational categories for the purposes of col-
1
lecting, calculating, analyzing, and disseminating
2
data.
3
(4) The Bureau of Labor Statistics fails to ac-
4
curately count EMS practitioners because of its fail-
5
ure to include dual-role firefighter/EMTs and fire-
6
fighter/paramedics in their count of EMS personnel.
7
(5) Accurately counting the EMS workforce is
8
critical for government agencies in determining the
9
needs of EMS agencies and practitioners. These
10
data are also crucial for informing many aspects of
11
policy, including preparedness for natural disasters,
12
public health emergencies, and acts of terrorism.
13
SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF DUAL-ROLE FIREFIGHTERS AS
14
EMS PRACTITIONERS.
15
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment
16
of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall revise the broad
17
description under the occupational series ‘‘33–2011 Fire-
18
fighters’’ of the 2018 Standard Occupational Classifica-
19
tion System of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to include
20
the following detailed occupations:
21
(1) Firefighters.
22
(2) Firefighter/EMTs.
23
(3) Firefighter/Paramedics.
24
(4) Firefighters, All Other.
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•S 1115 IS
SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
1
Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment
2
of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to Con-
3
gress a report that describes—
4
(1) the actions taken in 2015 to expand the
5
definition ‘‘29–2040 Emergency Medical Technicians
6
and Paramedics’’ to separately account for the num-
7
bers of EMTs and paramedics; and
8
(2) the implementation of the revisions under
9
section 3.
10
Æ
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