Bill Text: TX HB1407 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services assistance program.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 6-2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB1407 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB1407-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 1407 |
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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) "General academic teaching institution," "medical | ||
and dental unit," "other agency of higher education," and "public | ||
technical institute" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, | ||
Education Code. | ||
(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 general academic | ||
teaching institution, medical and dental unit, other agency of | ||
higher education, or public technical institute 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 general academic teaching institution, medical | ||
and dental unit, other agency of higher education, or public | ||
technical institute 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 Section 773.257 to the applicant. | ||
Sec. 773.255. EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM. (a) A general | ||
academic teaching institution, medical and dental unit, other | ||
agency of higher education, or public technical institute 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 general academic teaching institutions, medical and | ||
dental units, other agencies of higher education, or public | ||
technical institutes 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. GRANTS. (a) The commissioner may use money | ||
from the permanent fund for emergency medical services and trauma | ||
care established under Section 403.106, Government Code, 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 general academic teaching | ||
institution, medical and dental unit, other agency of higher | ||
education, | ||
or public technical institute offering the educational | ||
curriculum under this subchapter. | ||
(b) The commissioner shall ensure that at least 60 percent | ||
of the grants provided under this section are provided to emergency | ||
medical services providers that serve a rural area. | ||
(c) 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 section. | ||
(d) The department shall distribute grants under this | ||
section in accordance with the requirements of Subsection (b) and | ||
the grant priorities established under Subsection (c). | ||
SECTION 2. Notwithstanding another provision of this Act, | ||
the Department of State Health Services is required to implement | ||
this Act only if the legislature appropriates money specifically | ||
for that purpose. If the legislature does not appropriate money | ||
specifically for that purpose, the Department of State Health | ||
Services may, but is not required to, implement this Act using other | ||
appropriations available for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 1407 was passed by the House on May 4, | ||
2017, by the following vote: Yeas 128, Nays 18, 2 present, not | ||
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
No. 1407 on May 25, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 130, Nays 14, | ||
2 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 1407 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 23, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays | ||
3. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |