| TO: | Honorable Royce West, Chair, Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB2081 by Uresti (Relating to reports regarding the provision of emergency ground ambulance services in counties.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would require each county to assess the emergency ground ambulance services provided in that county from all sources that respond to 9-1-1 or other emergency calls and provide primary emergency response. The executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), in consultation with the commissioner of state health services, would be required to adopt rules governing the self-assessment not later than January 1, 2010.
Under provisions of the bill, a county or municipality would be authorized to establish reporting standards for emergency ground ambulance services that are more strict than those adopted by HHSC.
A county, municipality, or other entity would be authorized to operate an emergency ground ambulance services that is operated in accordance with federal laws, state laws, and other state and local rules.
Not later than March 1 of each year, starting March 1, 2011, a county would be required to provide to the Department of Health Services and to publish a report on the availability of emergency ground ambulance services within the county for the preceding year and to make the report available on the county's Internet website. If the county does not have a website, it would be required to annually publish the report in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
It is assumed that any costs associated with rulemaking responsibilities could be absorbed within existing resources.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, DB
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