Reclassification Effort: The 9-1-1 Saves Act
Each day, men and women around the United States and around Missouri drive to work, sit in front of a computer and begin answering calls for help. From cats stuck in trees to officers being shot at, these individuals are often the lifeline between citizen and field responder.
Currently, this critical occupation is categorized as administrative or clerical in nature. For years, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials has sought to rectify this by requesting the federal catalog of occupations known as the Standard Occupational Classification be changed to reflect the emergency communications professional as a protective occupation class – the same class as firefighter, police officer, parking enforcement and playground monitors.
In the last congressional session, the 9-1-1 Saves Act was introduced. Though it ultimately did not pass the congressional session, the sponsors are hard at it again this session. During the current legislative session, the 9-1-1 Saves Act has been introduced in both the House (HR 2351) and the Senate (S1175).
Both APCO and NENA have issued a call to action to support this Act. What can you do? The answer, take two minutes of your time to write your congressional party. Let them know about the bill and what your thoughts are on the matter. You can easily do this using APCO’s call-to-action platform!