By Maxey                                         H.B. No. 765

      75R3761 SKB-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to specialized emergency medical services provider

 1-3     qualifications.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 773.045, Health and Safety Code, is

 1-6     amended  by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (c) and

 1-7     (d) to read as follows:

 1-8           (b)  A rotor or fixed-wing aircraft and staff that is based

 1-9     in Texas and used to transport a patient by stretcher [and that

1-10     advertises as an air ambulance service] is required to be licensed

1-11     by the department.

1-12           (c)  A rotor or fixed-wing aircraft and staff based

1-13     out-of-state used to pick up a patient in this state to transport

1-14     the patient by stretcher is required to be licensed by the

1-15     department.  This subsection does not apply to a rotor or

1-16     fixed-wing aircraft and staff based out-of-state used only to

1-17     deliver a patient from outside of this state into this state.

1-18           (d)  A rotor or fixed-wing aircraft and staff that advertises

1-19     in this state as an air ambulance service shall include information

1-20     on the physical location of its operations in any advertisements

1-21     for air ambulance service.

1-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-23           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.