Part of911 dispatchers →

HB 451FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Died in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee

Expanding Mental Health Benefits for 911 Dispatchers

Original title: 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator Employment-related Mental or Nervous Injuries

November 18, 2025

911 dispatchers mental health workers compensation first responders Florida law public officers, employees, and records

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Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently Died in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

7 actions

Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroduced
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
Nov 24, 2025House
Now in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee
Nov 24, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Commerce Committee
Nov 24, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Budget Committee
Nov 24, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee
Nov 24, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Insurance & Banking Subcommittee

Show 1 earlier action

Nov 18, 2025HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

This change grants 911 dispatchers access to the same workers' compensation medical benefits for mental health as police and firefighters, potentially increasing the availability of employer-funded psychiatric care for these employees starting July 1, 2026.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

911 public safety telecommunicators

They gain eligibility for specific medical benefits for work-related mental or nervous injuries under Florida's workers' compensation framework.

State and local government employers

They become responsible for providing medical benefits for mental or nervous injuries to 911 dispatchers under the expanded statutory provisions.

What changed

Current stage: Died in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Background

Florida law currently provides specific workers' compensation protections for first responders, such as police and firefighters, regarding mental health injuries. context

Summary

This bill updates Florida law to include 911 public safety telecommunicators in the same category as other first responders for the purpose of accessing medical benefits for work-related mental or nervous injuries. It ensures these workers can access specific medical care for psychological trauma, even when no physical injury is present.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this bill allow 911 dispatchers to get paid for time off due to mental stress?

Only if the mental injury is accompanied by a physical injury arising from their work. If there is no physical injury, they are eligible for medical benefits (treatment) but not indemnity (lost wage) payments.

What evidence is required to claim these benefits?

The bill requires that any mental or nervous injury be demonstrated by ''.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

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Connected Entities

bill_number1st Reading (Original Filed Version)“Stage of the bill's review”Map →

other911 Public Safety Telecommunicator“The subject of the bill's focus”Map →

organizationBudget Committee“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

organizationGovernment Operations Subcommittee“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

organizationCommerce Committee“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

organizationInsurance & Banking Subcommittee“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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