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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 102
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3937
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E CERTIFICATION OF MENTAL HEALTH
FIRST AID TRAINING PROGRAMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 20-206mm of the general 1
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective from passage): 3
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, an 4
applicant for a license as a paramedic shall submit evidence satisfactory 5
to the Commissioner of Public Health that the applicant has successfully 6
(1) completed a paramedic training program approved by the 7
commissioner, (2) for applicants applying on and after January 1, 2020, 8
completed mental health first aid training as part of a program provided 9
by an instructor certified by the National Council for Behavioral Health 10
or any other organization approved by the commissioner and identified 11
as approved by the commissioner on the Internet web site of the 12
Department of Public Health, and (3) passed an examination prescribed 13
by the commissioner. 14
(b) An applicant for licensure by endorsement shall present evidence 15
Committee Bill No. 102
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satisfactory to the commissioner that the applicant (1) is licensed or 16
certified as a paramedic in another state or jurisdiction whose 17
requirements for practicing in such capacity are substantially similar to 18
or higher than those of this state and that the applicant has no pending 19
disciplinary action or unresolved complaint against him or her, or (2) 20
(A) is currently licensed or certified as a paramedic in good standing in 21
any New England state, New York or New Jersey, (B) has completed an 22
initial training program consistent with the National Emergency 23
Medical Services Education Standards, as promulgated by the National 24
Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the paramedic scope of 25
practice model conducted by an organization offering a program that is 26
recognized by the national emergency medical services program 27
accrediting organization, (C) for applicants applying on or after January 28
1, 2020, has completed mental health first aid training as part of a 29
program provided by an instructor certified by the National Council for 30
Behavioral Health or any other organization approved by the 31
commissioner and identified as approved by the commissioner on the 32
Internet web site of the Department of Public Health, and (D) has no 33
pending disciplinary action or unresolved complaint against him or her. 34
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 20-206mm(a) and (b)
Statement of Purpose:
To expand the organizations that may certify mental health first aid
training programs.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. CHAMPAGNE, 35th Dist.
S.B. 102
Committee Bill No. 102
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