Senators Torres, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bill to Reclassify 911 Dispatchers as Protective Service Occupations
U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (CA-35) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) introduced H.R. 1629, the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act to reclassify 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers from “Office and Administrative Support Occupations” to “Protective Service Occupations” in the Office of Management and Budget Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) catalog.
OMB currently classifies 9-1-1 dispatchers as clerical workers—the same category as secretaries, office clerks, and taxicab dispatchers. The 911 SAVES Act would update this classification to appropriately reflect the important role of 9-1-1 dispatchers in directing emergency response and providing lifesaving emergency medical instruction.