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SB 805

Public Safety - 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone System - Definition of First Responders

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Ben Brooks

SB 805 expands the definition of “first responder” to include three MDOT technician roles for purposes in the 9-1-1 system.

Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
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Bill Summary · SB 805

Summary — SB 805: Public Safety — 9‑1‑1 Emergency Telephone System — Definition of “First Responder”

Status: Hearing scheduled 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
Introduced: January 28, 2025 (Senate); Cross‑file: HB 106.
Primary sponsors: Senators Jackson and Brooks.
Effective date (as drafted): October 1, 2025.
Fiscal impact: No material effect on State operations; no local or small business impact (per Department of Legislative Services).

Purpose / Intent

SB 805 amends Maryland’s Public Safety Article to expand the statutory definition of “first responder” as used in provisions governing the State’s 9‑1‑1 emergency telephone system. The stated intent is to recognize certain Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) personnel who perform emergency or traffic‑response functions as first responders for purposes where that term appears in State law.

Key provisions

  • Revises Article — Public Safety Section 1‑301(j) to add the following to the enumerated list of “first responders”:
    • An emergency response technician employed by MDOT;
    • A facility maintenance technician employed by MDOT;
    • A vehicle services and recovery technician employed by MDOT.
  • Leaves the core definition — “an employee of a State or local public safety agency that provides emergency response services” — intact, but explicitly includes the three MDOT job classes.
  • Reenacts the statute with amendments and sets the bill to take effect October 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Directly: MDOT employees in the three specified classifications — emergency response technicians, facility maintenance technicians, and vehicle services/recovery technicians — who will be newly enumerated as “first responders” under statutes that reference that term.
  • Indirectly: Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), the State 9‑1‑1 system, and agencies or programs that use the statutory “first responder” definition (for example, certain eligibility rules, notices, discounts, training/response coordination, or data/reporting referenced in other statutes and regulations).

Potential impacts

  • Legal/administrative: Recognizing these MDOT roles as first responders may affect how 9‑1‑1 data is routed or how responders are classified for training, notification, or program eligibility where the “first responder” definition applies.
  • Fiscal: The Department of Legislative Services reports no material State or local fiscal effect from the change.
  • Policy/operational: May improve coordination between PSAPs and MDOT field personnel during roadway incidents and clarify communications/expectations in emergency response contexts.

Related / Procedural notes

  • Cross‑file: HB 106 (companion).
  • At the time of filing, the bill was assigned to the Education, Energy, and the Environment committee (per docketing); hearing set for 2/25.
  • The change is narrow and limited to statutory definition; it does not by itself create new programs or funding.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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