HLS 25RS-192 ORIGINAL
2025 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 320
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
SUPPLEMENTAL PAY: Provides state supplemental pay to public emergency medical
services practitioners
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 40:1666.1(A)(1) and (2) and (C) and to enact R.S. 40:1666.3.1,
3 relative to state supplemental pay for certain public employees; to authorize payment
4 of a state supplement for the salaries of certain emergency medical services
5 practitioners; to provide with respect to requirements for and the amount of such
6 payments; to provide for disbursement of such payments; to provide an effective
7 date; and to provide for related matters.
8Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 40:1666.1(A)(1) and (2) and (C) are hereby amended and reenacted
10and R.S. 40:1666.3.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §1666.1. Extra compensation
12 A.(1)(a) In addition to the compensation now paid by any municipality,
13 parish, fire protection district, or other political subdivision maintaining a fire
14 department, or by the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana or the Coushatta Tribe of
15 Louisiana, hereinafter referred to as "tribe", or by any nonprofit corporation
16 contracting with any such political subdivision to provide fire protection services to
17 every paid, regularly employed employee, as distinguished from part-time employees
18 and volunteers of such fire department, who are carried on the payroll of such fire
19 department, and every employee as defined in this Subsection who is paid from
20 funds of the parish or municipality or tribe obtained through lawfully adopted bond
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1 issues, lawfully assessed taxes, or other funds available for such purpose, either
2 directly or through a board or commission set up by law or ordinance of the parish
3 or municipality or tribe, shall be paid extra compensation by the state in the amount
4 of six hundred dollars per month for each such paid employee who has completed
5 or who hereafter completes one year of service. The provisions of Paragraph (5) of
6 this Subsection shall govern the requirements for length of service for employees
7 who were ordered to active military duty in the armed services of the United States
8 during their initial term of employment.
9 (b)(i) Beginning July 1, 2027, in addition to the compensation paid by any
10 municipality, parish, fire protection district, or other political subdivision to every
11 paid, regularly employed emergency medical services practitioner employed by a
12 political subdivision of the state shall be paid extra compensation by the state in the
13 amount of six hundred dollars per month for each emergency medical services
14 practitioner who has completed or who hereafter completes one year of service.
15 (ii) For the purposes of this Section, unless the context clearly indicates
16 otherwise, the term "emergency medical services practitioner" means a person
17 employed as a licensed emergency medical technician, a licensed advanced
18 emergency medical technician, or a licensed paramedic. The term shall not include
19 a part-time employee or volunteer who is carried on the payroll of a political
20 subdivision.
21 (2) The term "employee" as used herein expressly excludes any person hired
22 primarily to perform secretarial and clerical duties, switchboard operators,
23 secretaries, record clerks, maintenance personnel, and mechanics.; With respect to
24 individuals employed to provide fire protection services as provided in Subparagraph
25 (1)(a) of this Subsection, it shall expressly exclude employees hired after March 31,
26 1986, who have not completed and passed a certified fireman's training program
27 equal to National Fire Protection Association Standard 1001 Firefighter I
28 Certification or a firefighter's training program as approved by the office of state fire
29 marshal Fire and Emergency Training Academy in accordance with R.S. 40:1541 et
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1 seq.; and it shall also expressly exclude part-time employees and volunteers of such
2 municipal, parish, tribe, or fire protection district fire departments.
3 * * *
4 C.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the
5 compensation for tribal officers of the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana pursuant to
6 Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section shall be for no more than ten such firemen.
7 (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the
8 compensation for tribal officers of the Coushatta Indian Tribe of Louisiana pursuant
9 to Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section shall be for no more than ten such firemen.
10 * * *
11 §1666.3.1. Warrants for payments to emergency medical services practitioners
12 A. Notwithstanding any provision of R.S. 40:1666.3 to the contrary, the
13 funds credited and dedicated as provided in this Chapter for payments made to
14 emergency medical services practitioners shall be disbursed upon warrants approved
15 and certified by the head of the political subdivision employing such emergency
16 medical services practitioners, which warrants shall have attached to them a detailed
17 list of the names of the employees for whose benefit any particular warrant is drawn,
18 together with the completed years of service of such employees and other
19 information as the Department of Public Safety and Corrections may require.
20 B. The head of the political subdivision employing an eligible emergency
21 medical services practitioner shall forward the approved and certified warrants to the
22 Department of Public Safety and Corrections and, after obtaining approval of the
23 board as provided in R.S. 40:1666.8, on the basis of such warrants, the Department
24 of Public Safety and Corrections shall issue payments representing the amount to be
25 paid out of state funds to each emergency medical services practitioner in accordance
26 with the provisions of this Subsection. The secretary shall issue payments to each
27 individual in whose favor they are drawn by such means as he shall determine.
28 C. The head of the political subdivision employing eligible emergency
29 medical services practitioners who is charged with the responsibility of preparing the
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HB NO. 320
1 pay rolls for such employees, shall include the additional compensation paid by the
2 state to such employees in the calculation and deduction from the pay of such
3 employees of the sums required by state or federal law to be withheld by an
4 employer, such as federal income tax and social security tax or contributions to local
5 retirement systems. Any officials charged with withholding sums from the pay of
6 an emergency medical services practitioner shall be further charged with the
7 responsibility of transmitting the sums withheld in accordance with the law or laws
8 requiring the withholding.
9 D. The additional compensation paid by the state pursuant to R.S.
10 40:1666.1(A)(1)(b) shall be included in the calculation and computation of the total
11 wages paid to the emergency medical services practitioner in the determination of
12 employer contributions to any retirement system or pension fund of which the
13 employee may be a member as well as in the determination of retirement eligibility
14 and benefits which may accrue to the employee under any retirement system or
15 pension fund, as well as in the determination of any other employee benefits, sick
16 leave, or disability pay to which the emergency medical services practitioner might
17 be entitled.
18 Section 2. This Act shall take effect and become operative if and when the proposed
19amendment of Article VII of the Constitution of Louisiana contained in the Act which
20originated as House Bill No. __ of this 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature is adopted
21at a statewide election and becomes effective.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 320 Original 2025 Regular Session Bagley
Abstract: Authorizes payment of state supplements to the salaries of certain emergency
medical services practitioners.
Present law provides for state supplemental pay of $600 per month for any regularly
employed firefighter who is paid not less than $300 per month by any municipality, parish,
fire protection district, or other political subdivision maintaining a fire department, by the
Chitimacha Tribe of La. or Coushatta Tribe of La., or by any nonprofit corporation
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contracting with any political subdivision to provide fire protection services and who
completes one year of service. Proposed law retains present law.
Beginning July 1, 2027, proposed law authorizes state supplemental pay of $600 per month
for any regularly employed emergency medical services practitioner employed by a political
subdivision of the state who completes one year of service. Defines "emergency medical
services practitioner" for the purposes of proposed law to mean a person employed as a
licensed emergency medical technician, a licensed advanced emergency medical technician,
or a licensed paramedic. Further provides the term does not include a part-time employee
or volunteer who is carried on the payroll of a political subdivision.
Present law provides that the term "employee" for purposes of present law expressly
excludes any person hired primarily to perform secretarial and clerical duties, switchboard
operators, secretaries, record clerks, maintenance personnel, and mechanics. Proposed law
retains present law. Present law further provides that the term "employee" expressly
excludes employees hired after March 31, 1986, who have not completed and passed a
certified fireman's training program equal to National Fire Protection Association Standard
1001 Firefighter I Certification or a firefighter's training program as approved by the office
of state fire marshal Fire and Emergency Training Academy in accordance with present law
and excludes part-time employees and volunteers of municipal, parish, tribe, or fire
protection district fire departments. Proposed law limits these exclusions to individuals
employed to provide fire protection services.
Present law limits application of salary supplements for tribal officers of the Chitimacha
Tribe of La. and the Coushatta Tribe of La. to no more than 10 firemen. Proposed law
specifies that this limitation applies to the compensation provided pursuant to present law.
Present law establishes procedures for warrants drawn to pay the monthly supplement
authorized by present law. Proposed law retains present law procedures for the payment of
supplements to firemen as provided in present law. Further provides procedures for warrants
drawn to pay the monthly supplement authorized in proposed law public emergency medical
services practitioners. Requires the head of the political subdivision employing the eligible
practitioner to submit the approved and certified warrant for payment and requires inclusion
of the same information as required for firemen's warrants in present law. Provides for
payment of the warrants by the Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections. Also requires the
head of the political subdivision employing the eligible practitioner to calculate and deduct
from such pay the required state and federal withholdings. Requires the compensation paid
pursuant to proposed law to be included in the calculation and computation of total wages
paid in the determination of employer contributions to any retirement system or pension fund
that the recipient is a member of as well as in the determination of retirement eligibility and
benefits in such system.
Effective if and when the proposed amendment of Article VII of the Constitution of La.
contained in the Act which originated as House Bill No. __ of this 2025 R.S. of the
Legislature is adopted at a statewide election and becomes effective.
(Amends R.S. 40:1666.1(A)(1) and (2) and (C); Adds R.S. 40:1666.3.1)
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