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Lawmakers weigh uniform definitions for 'first responder' and 'essential worker' to include dispatchers and public‑works staff
Summary
Representative Jamie Foster and public‑safety advocates asked the committee to create a working group to develop statutory definitions of 'first responder' and 'essential worker' that would include 9‑1‑1 dispatchers and certain public‑works staff, aiming to align benefits, training and post‑incident support.
Representative Jamie Foster told the Public Safety Committee she will support House Bill 70 53, which would establish a working group to create uniform statutory definitions for "first responder" and "essential worker".
"Dispatchers are really an unseen lifeline," Foster said, describing dispatchers’ exposure to traumatic events and the work’s decisionmaking responsibilities.
Foster and others outlined reasons the legislature should clarify terms already used in different statutes: advocates for 9‑1‑1 dispatchers and some…
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