Bill Text: HI HB1105 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Bill 1105 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating To Emergency Medical Services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-17 - Re-referred to HHS, FIN, referral sheet 1 [HB1105 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HB1105-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1105
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds that anti-tobacco campaigns have played a major role in the overall decline of cigarette smoking. A key tool of tobacco control has been taxation policy, which has been shown to be particularly effective for youths who are generally more price-sensitive and thus are less likely to start or maintain cigarette smoking.

The health effects of smoking are well established and include increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and other medical events to which Hawaii′s emergency medical services system routinely responds. A clear nexus can thus be established between cigarette smoking and utilization of the healthcare system. However, due to declining rates of smoking the long-term sustainability of the cigarette tax as a revenue source for the emergency medical system special fund is in jeopardy.

The purpose of this Act is to repeal the emergency medical services special fund, redirect the fund′s revenue sources (cigarette tax, motor vehicle registration fee, investment pool returns) to the general fund, and appropriate an equivalent dollar-for-dollar amount to the department of health for purposes of overseeing the statewide comprehensive emergency medical system with no discernable disruptions.

In fiscal year 2015-2016, revenue collected from the $5 per vehicle registration fee was deposited into the special fund. The emergency medical services special fund revenues from vehicle registration fees in fiscal year 2015-2016 were $6,538,865.

In fiscal year 2015-2016, revenue collected from the 1.25 cents per cigarette sold was deposited into the emergency medical system special fund. The emergency medical system special fund revenues from cigarette sales in fiscal year 2015-2016 were $8,800,000.

The emergency medical system special fund revenues from the investment pool account in fiscal year 2015-2016 were $151,502.46.

The emergency medical system special fund total revenues in fiscal year 2015-2016 were $15,490,367.46.

SECTION 2. Section 245-15, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§245-15 Disposition of revenues. All moneys collected pursuant to this chapter shall be paid into the state treasury as state realizations to be kept and accounted for as provided by law; provided that, of the moneys collected under the tax imposed pursuant to:

(1) Section 245-3(a)(5), after September 30, 2006, and prior to October 1, 2007, 1.0 cent per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the Hawaii cancer research special fund, established pursuant to section 304A-2168, for research and operating expenses and for capital expenditures;

(2) Section 245-3(a)(6), after September 30, 2007, and prior to October 1, 2008:

(A) 1.5 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the Hawaii cancer research special fund, established pursuant to section 304A-2168, for research and operating expenses and for capital expenditures;

(B) 0.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5; and

(C) 0.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the emergency medical services special fund established pursuant to section 321-234;

(3) Section 245-3(a)(7), after September 30, 2008, and prior to July 1, 2009:

(A) 2.0 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the Hawaii cancer research special fund, established pursuant to section 304A-2168, for research and operating expenses and for capital expenditures;

(B) 0.5 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5;

(C) 0.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the community health centers special fund established pursuant to section 321-1.65; and

(D) 0.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the emergency medical services special fund established pursuant to section 321-234;

(4) Section 245-3(a)(8), after June 30, 2009, and prior to July 1, 2013:

(B) 0.75 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5;

(C) 0.75 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the community health centers special fund established pursuant to section 321-1.65; and

(D) 0.5 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the emergency medical services special fund established pursuant to section 321-234;

(5) Section 245-3(a)(11), after June 30, 2013, and prior to July 1, 2015:

(B) 1.5 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5;

(C) 1.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the community health centers special fund established pursuant to section 321-1.65; and

(D) 1.25 cents per cigarette shall be deposited to the credit of the emergency medical services special fund established pursuant to section 321-234; [~~and~~]

(6) Section 245-3(a)(11), after June 30, 2015, and [~~thereafter~~:] prior to July 1, 2017:

(B) 1.125 cents per cigarette, but not more than $7,400,000 in a fiscal year, shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5;

(C) 1.25 cents per cigarette, but not more than $8,800,000 in a fiscal year, shall be deposited to the credit of the community health centers special fund established pursuant to section 321-1.65; and

(D) 1.25 cents per cigarette, but not more than $8,800,000 in a fiscal year, shall be deposited to the credit of the emergency medical services special fund established pursuant to section 321-234[.]; and

(7) Section 245-3(a)(11), after June 30, 2017, and thereafter:

(B) 1.125 cents per cigarette, but not more than $7,400,000 in a fiscal year, shall be deposited to the credit of the trauma system special fund established pursuant to section 321-22.5; and

(C) 1.25 cents per cigarette, but not more than $8,800,000 in a fiscal year, shall be deposited to the credit of the community health centers special fund established pursuant to section 321-1.65.

The department shall provide an annual accounting of these dispositions to the legislature."

SECTION 3. Section 249-31, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) From each annual motor vehicle registration fee, the director shall deposit $40 into the state highway fund and $5 into the [~~emergency medical services special fund.~~] general fund."

SECTION 4. Section 321-234, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.

["~~§321-234 Emergency medical services special fund.~~ ~~(a) There is established within the state treasury a special fund to be known as the emergency medical services special fund to be administered and expended by the department.~~

(b) The moneys in the special fund shall be used by the department for operating a state comprehensive emergency medical services system including enhanced and expanded services, and shall not be used to supplant funding for emergency medical services authorized prior to [July 1, 2004].

(c) Fees remitted pursuant to section 249-31, cigarette tax revenues designated under section 245-15, interest and investment earnings attributable to the moneys in the special fund, legislative appropriations, and grants, donations, and contributions from private or public sources for the purposes of the fund, shall be deposited into the special fund.

(d) The department shall submit an annual report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session that outlines the receipts of, and expenditures from, the special fund."]

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $14,796,503 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019, to carry out the purposes of this Act. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the statewide comprehensive emergency medical services system.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act, upon its approval, shall take effect on July 1, 2017.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

BY REQUEST

Report Title:

Emergency Medical Services Special Fund, Appropriation.

Description:

Repeals the Emergency Medical Services Special Fund and deposits moneys from the fund's revenue sources into the general fund, and appropriates an equivalent amount of general funds for the Department of Health.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.