85R7219 SCL-F
 
  By: Seliger S.B. No. 1471
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services
  assistance program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code, is amended
  by adding Subchapter I to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER I.  EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
         Sec. 773.251.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:
               (1)  "Educational curriculum" means a
  distance-learning emergency medical services curriculum that
  provides remote courses of instruction and training to emergency
  medical services personnel who serve a rural area.
               (2)  "Postsecondary educational institution" means any
  institution, public or private, which provides courses of
  instruction beyond that offered in secondary schools.
               (3)  "Program" means the emergency medical services
  assistance program established under this subchapter.
         Sec. 773.252.  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.  (a)  The
  department shall establish the emergency medical services
  assistance program to provide financial and educational assistance
  to eligible emergency medical services providers.
         (b)  The program includes grants to eligible emergency
  medical services providers and an educational curriculum to provide
  training to rural emergency medical services personnel.
         Sec. 773.253.  RULES.  (a)  The executive commissioner shall
  adopt rules necessary to implement this subchapter, including rules
  for:
               (1)  determining eligibility under the program;
               (2)  establishing requirements for the educational
  curriculum; and
               (3)  establishing requirements for a postsecondary
  educational institution that develops and offers the educational
  curriculum.
         (b)  The rules must require that:
               (1)  an emergency medical services provider
  demonstrate financial need to be eligible for assistance under the
  program;
               (2)  a postsecondary educational institution applying
  to offer the educational curriculum demonstrate the qualifications
  necessary to develop and offer the educational curriculum; and
               (3)  the educational curriculum provide to rural
  emergency medical services personnel the remote instructional
  courses and training necessary for the personnel to achieve
  department certification under Subchapter C.
         Sec. 773.254. APPLICATION BY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
  PROVIDER.  (a)  An emergency medical services provider may apply to
  the department in the form and manner provided by department rule to
  receive assistance under the program.
         (b)  If the department determines an applicant is eligible
  for assistance under the program, the department may provide a
  grant under this subchapter to the applicant.
         Sec. 773.255.  EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM.  (a)  A postsecondary
  educational institution may apply to the department in the form and
  manner provided by department rule to develop and offer the
  educational curriculum under this subchapter.
         (b)  The department may contract with not more than three
  qualified postsecondary educational institutions to develop and
  offer the educational curriculum under this subchapter.
         Sec. 773.256.  ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.  The department may
  provide administrative support to the program.
         Sec. 773.257.  EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE
  ACCOUNT. (a) In this section, "account" means the emergency
  medical services assistance account established under this
  section.
         (b)  The emergency medical services assistance account is
  established as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund.
         (c)  The account is composed of:
               (1)  money deposited to the credit of the account under
  Section 542.4031, Transportation Code; and
               (2)  notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government Code,
  interest earned on the investment of money in the account and
  depository interest allocable to the account.
         (d)  Money in the account may be appropriated to the
  department only for the purposes described by Subsection (e).
         (e)  The commissioner may use the money appropriated from the
  account to provide grants, in addition to funding available from
  other sources, to emergency medical services providers applying for
  assistance under the program or to provide funding to a
  postsecondary educational institution offering the educational
  curriculum under this subchapter.
         Sec. 773.258.  GRANT ALLOCATION.  (a)  The commissioner
  shall ensure that at least 60 percent of the grants provided under
  this subchapter are provided to emergency medical services
  providers that serve a rural area.
         (b)  The executive commissioner by rule shall establish a
  procedure for the Governor's EMS and Trauma Advisory Council to
  establish priorities for issuance of grants under this subchapter.
         (c)  The department shall distribute grants under this
  subchapter in accordance with the requirements of Subsection (a)
  and the grant priorities established under Subsection (b).
         SECTION 2.  Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (g)  Of the money received by the comptroller under this
  section, the comptroller shall deposit:
               (1)  50.5 [67] percent to the credit of the undedicated
  portion of the general revenue fund; [and]
               (2)  33 percent to the credit of the designated trauma
  facility and emergency medical services account under Section
  780.003, Health and Safety Code; and
               (3)  16.5 percent to the credit of the emergency
  medical services assistance account under Section 773.257, Health
  and Safety Code.
         SECTION 3.  Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, as
  amended by this Act, applies only to the distribution of revenue
  collected on or after the effective date of this Act. The
  distribution of revenue collected before the effective date of this
  Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the revenue was
  collected, and that law is continued in effect for the purpose of
  the distribution of that revenue.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.