AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the regulation of certain air ambulance companies.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Section 773.045, Health and Safety Code, is

 1-4     amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (c)

 1-5     through (f) to read as follows:

 1-6           (b)  A rotor or fixed-wing aircraft and staff based in this

 1-7     state and used to transport a patient by stretcher and that holds

 1-8     itself out as an air ambulance service [and that advertises as an

 1-9     air ambulance service] is required to be licensed by the

1-10     department.

1-11           (c)  An air ambulance company based in another state that

1-12     transports patients from a point in this state is required to be

1-13     licensed by the department as an emergency medical services

1-14     provider.  The department shall issue a license to an air ambulance

1-15     company under this subsection if the company applies as required by

1-16     this chapter and has met the department's qualifications for safely

1-17     transporting patients.  An air ambulance company accredited by the

1-18     Committee on Air Ambulance Medical Services is rebuttably presumed

1-19     to have met the department's qualifications.

1-20           (d)  An air ambulance company licensed under Subsection (c)

1-21     must include information regarding the physical location of the

1-22     company's base operations in any advertising by the company in this

1-23     state.  This subsection does not prohibit an air ambulance company

 2-1     with multiple locations from listing those locations in

 2-2     advertising, provided that the air ambulance company meets all the

 2-3     provisions of this chapter.

 2-4           (e)  An air ambulance company that is not located in this

 2-5     state and that advertises within this state must have at least one

 2-6     physical location in this state.

 2-7           (f)  This section does not require an air transportation

 2-8     provider to be licensed if, in addition to the company's normal air

 2-9     transportation service, the air transportation company provides

2-10     only voluntary, mercy-flight transportation at the company's own

2-11     expense.

2-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-13           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 644 passed the Senate on

         April 3, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that

         the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 23, 1997, by a

         viva-voce vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 644 passed the House, with

         amendment, on May 10, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor