SRC-SEW H.B. 3312 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 3312 77R11199 JRD-FBy: Dunnam (Moncrief) Intergovernmental Relations 5/7/2001 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Under current law, a 9-1-1 system must be capable of transmitting requests for fire-fighting, law enforcement, ambulance, and medical services to the proper public safety agency that provides the requested service. In many cases, the staff of a 9-1-1 center is able to provide direction and advice over the phone during an emergency before emergency services arrive on the scene of the emergency. However, some 9-1-1 centers do not have personnel trained in providing pre-arrival instructions. H.B. 3312 creates a pilot program to study the efficacy of providing pre-arrival instructions to 9-1-1 callers. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 771, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subchapter E, as follows: SUBCHAPTER E. STATE EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH RESOURCE CENTER Sec. 771.101. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Health (department), with the assistance of the advisory council appointed under Section 773.012, to establish a pilot program to test the efficacy of using emergency medical dispatchers located in a regional emergency medical dispatch resource center to provide life-saving and other emergency medical instructions to persons who need guidance while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical personnel. Provides that the purpose of a regional emergency medical dispatch resource center is not to dispatch personnel or equipment resources but to serve as a resource to provide pre-arrival instructions that may be accessed by selected public safety answering points that are not adequately staffed or funded to provide those services. (b) Requires the commission to provide technical assistance to the department to facilitate the implementation of the pilot project. (c) Requires the department, with the cooperation of the advisory council, to perform certain functions. Sec. 771.102. PARTICIPATION IN PILOT PROGRAM. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Health to determine which public safety answering points are interested in participating in the pilot program. Requires the department to establish criteria for selecting qualified public safety answering points to participate in the pilot program. Requires participating public safety answering points to agree to participate in any required training and to provide regular reports required by the department for the pilot program. Sec. 771.103. SELECTION OF REGIONAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH RESOURCE CENTER. Requires the Texas Department of Health, with the assistance of the advisory council, to select one public safety answering point to serve as the regional emergency medical dispatch resource center. Sets forth requirements for the public safety answering point selected as the resource center for the pilot program. Requires the department and the advisory council, in selecting an existing public safety answering point to act as the resource center, to consider a public safety answering point's ability to keep records and produce reports to measure the effectiveness of the pilot program. Sec. 771.104. CRITERIA FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH INTERVENTION. Requires the department and the advisory council to define criteria that establish the need for emergency medical dispatch intervention to be used by participating public safety answering points to determine which calls are to be transferred to the regional emergency medical dispatch resource center for emergency medical dispatch intervention. Sec. 771.105. FUNDING OF PILOT PROGRAM. Authorizes money in the 9-1-1 services fee fund to be appropriated to the Texas Department of Health to fund the pilot program. Sec. 771.106. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. Requires the department to report its findings to the presiding officer of each house of the legislature no later than December 1, 2002. Sec. 771.107. LIABILITY. Provides that the operations of the regional emergency medical dispatch resource center are considered to be the provision of 9-1-1 services for purposes of Section 771.053. Provides that employees of and volunteers at the center have the same protection from liability as a member of the governing body of a public agency under Section 771.053. Sec. 771.108. EXPIRATION. Provides that this subchapter expires September 1, 2003. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001.