# 119-hr-6601: CARE for First Responders Act

119-hr-6601, CARE for First Responders Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6601
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6601
- Congress: 119
- Title: CARE for First Responders Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-12-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI)
- Cosponsors: 19
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Expands federal mental health and crisis support for first responders.** It would add emergency responders and 911 telecommunicators to disaster crisis counseling, require around-the-clock specialized services and a confidential hotline, and fund mobile and on-site crisis teams.

## Cosponsors (19)

- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-12-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2025-12-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. LaMalfa, Doug [R-CA-1] (R-CA), 2025-12-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45] (D-CA), 2025-12-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-01-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2026-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-02-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More crisis counseling for responders: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would amend the Stafford Act to let "qualified emergency response providers" get federally supported crisis counseling when responding to a major disaster. Public safety telecommunicators would be included if their job matches detailed occupation 43-5031 (or a successor). This…
- Nationwide responder mental health program: benefit, medium. If enacted, HHS (through SAMHSA) would have two years to set up a national program for qualified emergency response providers. The program would provide 24-hour mental health access and a confidential, toll-free hotline through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that is staffed at all times. It wo…
- Mobile crisis grants for responders: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create competitive grants to fund mobile crisis units serving qualified emergency response providers near major disaster areas. Grants could pay for on-site screening, short-term crisis care, referrals, resilience training, and some equipment or loan repayment. Each grant…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6601 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6601)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-18)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6601 (as of 2026-09-21).