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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to transfer of the regional emergency medical dispatch |
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resource centers program to the Commission on State Emergency |
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Communications. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 771.102(a) and (c), Health and Safety |
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Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(a) The commission [center], with the assistance of the |
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advisory council appointed under Section 773.012, shall administer |
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the program in which [establish a program to use] emergency medical |
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dispatchers located in regional emergency medical dispatch |
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resource centers are used to provide life-saving and other |
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emergency medical instructions to persons who need guidance while |
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awaiting the arrival of emergency medical personnel. The purpose |
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of a regional emergency medical dispatch resource center is not to |
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dispatch personnel or equipment resources but to serve as a |
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resource to provide pre-arrival instructions that may be accessed |
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by selected public safety answering points that are not adequately |
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staffed or funded to provide those services. |
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(c) The commission [center], with the assistance of the |
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advisory council, shall: |
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(1) design criteria and protocols and provide |
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oversight as needed to conduct the program; |
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(2) collect the necessary data to evaluate the |
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program; and |
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(3) report its findings to the legislature. |
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SECTION 2. Sections 771.103, 771.104, and 771.105, Health |
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and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 771.103. PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM. (a) The |
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commission [center] shall determine which public safety answering |
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points are interested in participating in the program. |
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(b) Participating public safety answering points must agree |
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to participate in any required training and to provide regular |
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reports required by the commission [center] for the program. |
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Sec. 771.104. SELECTION OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND |
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REGIONAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH RESOURCE CENTERS. (a) The |
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commission [center], with the assistance of the advisory council, |
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may select public safety answering points to participate in the |
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program or to serve as regional emergency medical dispatch resource |
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centers. A public safety answering point may participate in the |
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program and serve as a regional emergency medical dispatch resource |
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center. A public safety answering point selected for the program or |
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to serve as a resource center must: |
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(1) have a fully functional quality assurance program |
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that measures each emergency medical dispatcher's compliance with |
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the medical protocol; |
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(2) have dispatch personnel who meet the requirements |
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for emergency medical dispatcher certification or the equivalent as |
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determined by the Department of State Health Services; |
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(3) use emergency medical dispatch protocols approved |
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by a physician medical director knowledgeable in emergency medical |
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dispatch; |
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(4) have sufficient experience in providing |
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pre-arrival instructions; and |
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(5) have sufficient resources to handle the additional |
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workload and responsibilities of the program. |
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(b) In selecting an existing public safety answering point |
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to act as a resource center, the commission [center] shall consider |
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a public safety answering point's ability to keep records and |
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produce reports to measure the effectiveness of the program. The |
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commission [center] shall share information regarding a public |
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safety answering point's abilities with the advisory council. |
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Sec. 771.105. CRITERIA FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH |
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INTERVENTION. The commission [center], with the assistance of the |
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advisory council, shall define criteria that establish the need for |
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emergency medical dispatch intervention to be used by participating |
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public safety answering points to determine which calls are to be |
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transferred to the regional emergency medical dispatch resource |
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center for emergency medical dispatch intervention. |
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SECTION 3. Sections 771.106(a), (b), and (d), Health and |
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Safety Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(a) State [Money in the 9-1-1 services fee fund and other
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state] funds may be appropriated to [The University of Texas
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Medical Branch at Galveston on behalf of] the commission [center] |
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to fund the program. |
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(b) The commission may [University of Texas Medical Branch
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at Galveston on behalf of the center and the center are also
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authorized to] seek grant funding for the program. |
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(d) The provisions in this subchapter that require the |
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commission [center] to [establish,] conduct[,] and evaluate the |
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program are contingent on the commission [center] receiving funding |
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in accordance with this section. If a sufficient number of |
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political subdivisions in a region that could be served by a program |
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offer to pay the commission [center] an amount that in the |
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aggregate, together with any other funding received under this |
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section, is sufficient to fund the program for the region, [The
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University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, on behalf of] the |
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commission [center]: |
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(1) shall enter into contracts with the offering |
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political subdivisions under which each will pay an appropriate |
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share of the cost; and |
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(2) when the amount under the signed contracts, |
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together with any other funding received under this section, is |
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sufficient to fund the program for the region, shall implement the |
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program for the region. |
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SECTION 4. Section 771.107, Health and Safety Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 771.107. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. The commission |
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[center] shall biennially report its findings to the governor, the |
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presiding officer of each house of the legislature, and the |
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advisory council no later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year. |
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SECTION 5. Section 771.109(a), Health and Safety Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) The commission [center] may appoint a program work group |
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to assist the commission [center] in [developing,] implementing[,] |
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and evaluating the program and preparing a report on the |
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commission's [center's] findings. |
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SECTION 6. Sections 771.101 and 771.102(b), Health and |
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Safety Code, are repealed. |
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SECTION 7. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "Center" means the area health education center at |
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The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston that meets the |
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requirements of 42 U.S.C. Section 294a and has received federal |
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funding as an area health education center. |
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(2) "Program" means the regional emergency medical |
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dispatch resource centers program established under Subchapter E, |
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Chapter 771, Health and Safety Code, as that subchapter existed |
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before amendment by this Act. |
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(b) On the effective date of this Act, the administration of |
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the program is transferred from the center to the Commission on |
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State Emergency Communications and all unspent and unobligated |
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funds appropriated by the legislature to The University of Texas |
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Medical Branch at Galveston on behalf of the center to fund the |
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program are transferred to the commission. |
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(c) The Commission on State Emergency Communications with |
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the agreement of the center may accept the transfer of any records, |
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employees, or real or personal property of the center relating to |
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the operation of the program. |
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SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |