Klobuchar, Budd Introduce Resolution Announcing “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week”

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ted Budd (R-NC), co-chairs of the Next Generation 911 Caucus, introduced a bipartisan resolution designating April 13-19 as "National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" to recognize 9-1-1 dispatchers for their dedication and service as first responders to emergencies across the country. A companion resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

"As a former prosecutor, I know what an important role public safety telecommunications professionals play in times of crisis," said Klobuchar. "Recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week will help raise awareness about the lifesaving work these professionals do each and every day, and how we need to ensure 9-1-1 dispatchers are classified as the first responders that they are."

"Public safety telecommunicators are on the front lines of emergency response, and are the ones who answer the call for those in need of life-saving aid. I am deeply grateful for their service to our communities in North Carolina and across the country, and I am proud to recognize them during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week," said Budd.

"For 17 years, I was the voice on the other end of a 9-1-1 call-listening to people in their darkest moments, calming terrified parents, and guiding callers through life-or-death situations. Dispatchers are more than operators; they are lifelines, holding steady when everything else feels out of control," said Rep. Torres. "Public safety telecommunicators give so much of themselves to protect others, and I urge my colleagues to stand with them and fight for the status and support they deserve."

"When every second counts, it's the voice of a public safety telecommunicator that begins the chain of survival. These professionals are more than a calm presence-they are highly trained experts who manage emergencies with speed, clarity, and composure under immense pressure. Having served as an FBI Special Agent, I know their decisions can mean the difference between life and death. Our resolution is about more than recognition-it's a call to action. We must ensure these frontline heroes are properly classified, fully supported, and honored for the indispensable role they have in protecting our communities,"said Fitzpatrick.

Klobuchar has long been a leader in pushing to expand and improve emergency communications infrastructure and support first responders. In February, Klobuchar and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Enhancing First Response Act, which would appropriately recognize 9-1-1 dispatchers for the lifesaving nature of their work, improve our 9-1-1 emergency reporting system during natural disasters and subsequent recovery efforts, and bolster compliance with Kari's Law, which Senator Klobuchar worked to pass into law in 2018 and requires the manufacturers of multi-line telephone systems to create systems that allow callers to reach 9-1-1 without dialing a prefix or postfix.

Full text of the Senate resolution can be found here.

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