C.S.H.B. 3497 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 3497
By: Raymond
Public Health
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 
House Bill 3312, 77th Session, added Subchapter E, Health and Safety Code,
Section 771 which established 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.  Although the funds were
appropriated by the Legislature, they were not certified by the
Comptroller.  This bill extends the pilot program for another two years
and provides additional options for funding the program, including
allowing political subdivisions in a region to agree to pay the costs
associated with the program. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS
The bill provides that in addition to appropriated funds and grants, a
political subdivision that participates may pay an appropriate share of
the cost of the pilot program, and the pilot program may be funded if a
sufficient number of political subdivisions in a region that could be
served by the program offer to pay the Texas Department of Health (TDH) an
amount that in the aggregate, together with any other funding received, is
sufficient to fund the pilot program.  TDH shall enter into contracts with
offering political subdivisions and when the amount under signed contracts
plus any other funding available is sufficient to fund the program for the
region, TDH shall implemnt the program. The bill extends the expiration
date of the pilot program from September 1, 2003 until September 1, 2005. 

EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2003. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The substitute adds Section 3 of the bill to establish a work group to
assist the Texas Department of Health in developing, implementing, and
evaluating the pilot program and preparing a report on the department's
findings.