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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services |
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educational program. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
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by adding Subchapter I to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER I. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM |
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Sec. 773.251. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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(1) "Educational curriculum" means a |
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distance-learning emergency medical services curriculum that |
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provides remote courses of instruction and training to emergency |
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medical services personnel who serve a rural area. |
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(2) "Postsecondary educational institution" means any |
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institution, public or private, which provides courses of |
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instruction beyond that offered in secondary schools. |
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(3) "Program" means the emergency medical services |
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educational program established under this subchapter. |
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Sec. 773.252. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. The department |
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shall establish the emergency medical services educational program |
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to provide an educational curriculum for training rural emergency |
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medical services personnel. |
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Sec. 773.253. RULES. (a) The executive commissioner shall |
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adopt rules necessary to implement this subchapter, including rules |
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for: |
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(1) establishing requirements for the educational |
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curriculum; and |
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(2) establishing requirements for a postsecondary |
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educational institution that develops and offers the educational |
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curriculum. |
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(b) The rules must require that: |
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(1) a postsecondary educational institution applying |
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to offer the educational curriculum demonstrate the qualifications |
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necessary to develop and offer the educational curriculum; and |
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(2) the educational curriculum provide to rural |
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emergency medical services personnel the remote instructional |
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courses and training necessary for the personnel to achieve |
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department certification under Subchapter C. |
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Sec. 773.254. EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM. (a) A postsecondary |
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educational institution may apply to the department in the form and |
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manner provided by department rule to develop and offer the |
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educational curriculum under this subchapter. |
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(b) The department may contract with not more than three |
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qualified postsecondary educational institutions to develop and |
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offer the educational curriculum under this subchapter. |
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Sec. 773.255. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. The department may |
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provide administrative support to the program. |
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Sec. 773.256. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES EDUCATIONAL |
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ACCOUNT. (a) In this section, "account" means the emergency |
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medical services educational account established under this |
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section. |
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(b) The emergency medical services educational account is |
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established as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund. |
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(c) The account is composed of: |
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(1) money deposited to the credit of the account under |
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Section 542.4031, Transportation Code; and |
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(2) notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government Code, |
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interest earned on the investment of money in the account and |
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depository interest allocable to the account. |
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(d) Money in the account may be appropriated to the |
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department only for the purposes described by Subsection (e). |
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(e) The commissioner may use the money appropriated from the |
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account to provide funding to a postsecondary educational |
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institution offering the educational curriculum under this |
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subchapter. |
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SECTION 2. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(g) Of the money received by the comptroller under this |
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section, the comptroller shall deposit: |
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(1) 50.5 [67] percent to the credit of the undedicated |
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portion of the general revenue fund; [and] |
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(2) 33 percent to the credit of the designated trauma |
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facility and emergency medical services account under Section |
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780.003, Health and Safety Code; and |
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(3) 16.5 percent to the credit of the emergency |
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medical services educational account under Section 773.256, Health |
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and Safety Code. |
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SECTION 3. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, as |
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amended by this Act, applies only to the distribution of revenue |
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collected on or after the effective date of this Act. The |
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distribution of revenue collected before the effective date of this |
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Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the revenue was |
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collected, and that law is continued in effect for the purpose of |
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the distribution of that revenue. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |