Bill Text: NJ S1421 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires municipalities to provide basic life support services; establishes basic life support services as essential.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-18 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S1421 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S1421-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen)
Senator ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Singleton
SYNOPSIS
Requires municipalities to provide basic life support services; establishes basic life support services as essential.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the provision of basic life support services, supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.1993, c.58 and P.L.2015, c.70.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. As used in this act:
"Basic life support ambulance service" means an entity that is validly licensed by the department to provide pre-hospital basic life support care.
"Basic life support service" means a basic level of pre-hospital care which includes basic life support ambulance service, patient stabilization, airway clearance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, initial wound care and fracture stabilization, and other techniques and procedures authorized by the commissioner.
b. Basic life support service shall be deemed an essential service in this State. The governing body of each municipality in this State shall provide basic life support service to meet the needs of its population. The provision of basic life support service may be arranged by:
(1) providing a license or franchise to a private company;
(2) contracting with a public, private, or nonprofit entity for the service;
(3) entering into a mutual aid agreement with one or more municipal governing bodies for basic life support service pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.58 (C.26:2K-61)
(4) entering into an agreement with a hospital pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2015, c.70 (C.26:2K-12.1); or
(5) providing fire department and emergency medical services or public safety based basic life support service throughout the State, county, fire district, joint meeting, regional service agency of municipality, political subdivision, instrumentality or agency.
2. Section 2 of P.L.1993, c.58 (C.26:2K-61) is amended to read as follows:
2. The governing bodies of two or more municipalities may, by enacting reciprocal ordinances, enter into agreements with each other for mutual basic life support service and, first aid, ambulance or rescue squad assistance in case of emergency, subject to the written approval of the volunteer basic life support service and, first aid, ambulance or rescue squad or squads involved. The agreements may provide for:
a. Terms and conditions for payment by the municipality receiving assistance to the municipality rendering assistance for each member and each equipped basic life support service, or first aid, ambulance or rescue squad apparatus for each hour supplied;
b. The reimbursement of the municipality or municipalities rendering assistance for any damage to basic life support service, or first aid, ambulance or rescue squad equipment or other property and for payment to any member of a basic life support service, or first aid, ambulance or rescue squad for injuries sustained while serving pursuant to such agreements, or to a surviving spouse or other dependent if death results; and
c. A joint meeting of the municipalities entering into such agreements regarding other matters as are mutually deemed necessary.
(cf: P.L.1993, c.58, s.2)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each municipality to provide basic life support (BLS) and ambulance service to meet the needs of its population and designates BLS as an essential service in this State.
Under the bill, the governing body of a municipality may arrange BSL by: providing a license or franchise to a private company; contracting with a public, private, or nonprofit entity for the service; entering into a mutual aid agreements with the one or more municipal governing bodies; entering into an agreement with a hospital; or providing fire department, emergency medical services, or public safety based basic life support service throughout the State, county, fire district, joint meeting, regional service agency of municipality, political subdivision, instrumentality or agency.
