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Bill to recognize 911 telecommunicators as first responders sparks legal and drafting questions
Summary
Senate Bill 2296 would add public safety telecommunicators (911 dispatchers) to the statutory definition of first responders. Supporters said recognition is needed for parity in benefits and mental-health supports; lawmakers sought edits to avoid unintended regulatory consequences and recommended further research and interims.
Senate Bill 2296, which would define "first responders" in Century Code to include public safety telecommunicators (commonly called 911 operators), prompted supportive testimony from dispatch directors and questions from senators about legal consequences and where a statutory definition should reside.
Senator Wallen, sponsor of the bill, said telecommunicators are "the first of the first responders" and that the work they do — dispatching responders, giving life-saving instructions and coordinating scenes — exposes them to trauma similar to field responders. "They experience emotional and mental strain very similar to those that are actually in the field and should enjoy the same recognition as a vital cog in that process," Wallen said.
Sarah Miller, public safety telecommunications director for Barnes County and president of the North Dakota 911 Association, told the committee public safety telecommunicators make life-saving decisions and deserve access to the same training, support and resources as police, firefighters and EMS. She asked the committee to delete a clause in the bill that could give the Department of Health and Human Services regulatory authority over communications protocols for EMS, saying that existing Century Code already covers such communications.
Committee members expressed broad sympathy for dispatchers' work but raised drafting concerns. Chair Rohrs and others said adding a statutory definition without an immediate, concrete use could unintentionally subject multiple responder groups to new regulatory regimes. Senator Lee and others suggested the committee may be "cart before the horse" if it creates a definition without a clear statutory consequence or without coordinating parallel bills that address benefits or retirement inclusion.
Online and in-person testimony from Grand Forks Dispatch Director Shannon LeHayes and others noted that roughly 20 states recognize dispatchers as first responders in some form and urged North Dakota to consider the step as part of longer-term reforms to training, certification and retirement.
Committee members asked the 911 association to gather examples from other states and work with senators who plan companion bills. No committee vote was recorded on SB 2296 in the transcript; lawmakers signaled willingness to continue work and coordinate drafting to avoid unintended regulatory consequences.
