SRC-VRA S.B. 1409 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 1409 78R6293 JRD-DBy: Deuell Health & Human Services 4/1/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE The 77th Texas Legislature approved a pilot program to test the efficacy of using emergency medical dispatchers located in a regional dispatch resource center to provide pre-arrival instructions to 911 callers in certain parts of rural Texas. As proposed, S.B. 1409 reintroduces this pilot program and extends its expiration date. 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 Section 771.105, Health and Safety Code, as follows: (a) and (b) Created from existing text. (c) Authorizes a political subdivision that participates in a regional emergency medical dispatch resource center pilot program to pay an appropriate share of the cost of the pilot program. (d) Requires the Texas Department of Health (TDH), if a sufficient number of political subdivisions in a region that could be served by a pilot program offer to pay TDH an amount that in the aggregate, together with any other funding received under this section, is sufficient to fund the pilot program for the region, to undertake certain tasks. SECTION 2. Amends Section 771.108, Health and Safety Code, to provide that this subchapter expires September 1, 2005, rather than 2003. SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003.