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.