H.R. 2196: National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act
Sponsor
Richard Hudson
Republican · NC-9
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 17, 2026
Passed the House, received in Senate
Keep the national EMS memorial alive
Why it matters
A 7-year extension is the whole story here: without it, the effort to build a national memorial for EMS workers in Washington could lose its legal authorization. H.R. 2196 resets that clock so the project can keep moving.
H.R. 2196 does one narrow but meaningful thing: it gives the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation 7 more years after enactment to establish a commemorative work in the Washington area.
This is not a new construction program, and it does not put federal money into building the memorial. It simply keeps the existing authorization from expiring under the old timeline.
In plain English, Congress already said this memorial could move forward. This bill says the foundation should not lose that permission just because the original deadline is running out.
If H.R. 2196 becomes law, the memorial effort stays legally alive for another 7 years. That gives the foundation more time for site approvals, design work, and fundraising in the District of Columbia and its surrounding area.
H.R. 2196 Bill Summary
What H.R. 2196 actually does.
The memorial gets 7 more years
H.R. 2196 gives the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation a new deadline: 7 years after enactment to establish the memorial.
The project stays alive in Washington
The extension applies to a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, keeping the memorial effort active in the federal commemorative works process.
No new memorial program is created
The bill does not launch a broader EMS initiative. It preserves an authorization Congress already granted for this specific memorial effort.
Federal agencies use a new clock
Officials reviewing the memorial would apply the new 7-years-after-enactment timeline instead of the earlier deadline.
Who benefits from H.R. 2196?
EMS workers and their families
Paramedics, EMTs, and the families of fallen responders would keep the chance to see a national memorial move forward instead of watching the authorization lapse.
The National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation
The foundation gets more time to finish the planning, approvals, and fundraising needed to establish the memorial.
People who want EMS recognized alongside other national service
If the project succeeds, visitors to Washington would eventually have a permanent place that recognizes emergency medical service as part of the country's public safety story.
Who is affected by H.R. 2196?
Federal memorial reviewers and planners
Agencies and officials handling commemorative works would need to work under the new 7-year deadline if H.R. 2196 becomes law.
Supporters and donors of the memorial effort
People backing the project would get more time to raise money and support a memorial that remains legally authorized.
Anyone expecting federal construction funding
This bill does not provide new federal money for construction. It only extends the legal authority for the memorial effort to continue.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 2196 has come up 13 times in the Congressional Record so far.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2196, to extend and authorize the commemorative work to complete the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial, and urge the House to pass this bill. The authorization for work on the memorial expired in November of 2025, and at no cost to the taxpayer, this bill simply allows the Foundation to continue their donations and work on the memorial in Washington. Each year across our Nation, the 850,000 men and women of EMS answer more than 30 million calls to serve 22 million patients at a moment's notice.
H.R. 2196 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 3 routine cosponsor filings.
HR2196 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Mar 17, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
House: Vote Held
Mar 16, 2026
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2523)
House: Committee Action
Feb 24, 2026
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-518.
House: Passed Committee
Feb 11, 2026
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
+2 more actions this day
House: Committee Action
Sep 18, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Sep 11, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
House: Committee Action
Mar 18, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
Richard Hudson
Republican, North Carolina's 9th congressional district · 13 years in Congress
Committees: Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (6)
This bill has 6 cosponsors: 5 Democrats, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 4 states: Colorado, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and 1 more.
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
0 of 20 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Natural Resources Committee
3 of 45 committee members cosponsored
35 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 2196 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 1(b) of Public Law 115-275
striking the period at the end and inserting ``, except that any reference in section 8903(e) of that chapter to the expiration at the end of or extension beyond a seven-year period shall be considered to be a reference to an expiration on or extension beyond the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act
H.R. 2196 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Introduced
- Mar 18, 2025
Passed the House, received in Senate
Mar 17, 2026
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, actions, and related legislative information for the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act.
The bill amends the commemorative works statute in chapter 89 of title 40, which governs memorial approvals and deadlines in Washington, D.C.
Section 8903 contains the key timing and authorization rules referenced in the bill text, including the seven-year establishment framework.
This is the original law authorizing the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish the commemorative work that H.R. 2196 extends.
If CBO publishes a cost estimate for H.R. 2196, it would appear through the Congressional Budget Office's official cost estimates resources.
Official repository for enacted public laws, helpful for tracing the original statutory authorization and any later memorial-related amendments.
H.R. 2196 Common Questions
What does H.R. 2196 actually do?
It gives the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation 7 more years after enactment to establish a memorial in the Washington area.
Does H.R. 2196 build the EMS memorial right away?
No. It does not build or fund the memorial by itself. It only keeps the legal authorization in place longer so the project can keep moving.
How long is the extension in H.R. 2196?
The bill sets a new deadline of 7 years after H.R. 2196 is enacted.
Who gets the extension under H.R. 2196?
The extension applies to the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation, the group authorized to establish the memorial.
Where would the memorial covered by H.R. 2196 be located?
The bill covers a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs — essentially the Washington, D.C., area.
Does H.R. 2196 include federal funding for the memorial?
No. The bill text provided does not include a new funding amount, appropriation, fee, or penalty.
Has H.R. 2196 passed Congress yet?
Not yet. According to the latest action provided, the bill was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Based on H.R. 2196 bill text
H.R. 2196 Bill Text
“To provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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