EXEMPT S.B. 445 - *SB445* SENATE BILL NO. 445–COMMITTEE ON FINANCE (ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF FINANCE IN THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR) APRIL 3, 2023 ____________ Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing emergency medical services. (BDR 40-1071) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No. Effect on the State: Executive Budget. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to emergency medical services; authorizing the use of certain money to create and maintain an information system containing the records of persons who have completed certain training programs; providing that money collected from certain fees must be accounted for separately and does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of emergency medical 1 services personnel, including ambulance attendants and firefighters, by: (1) in a 2 county whose population is 700,000 or more (currently Clark County), the district 3 board of health; and (2) in all other counties, the Division of Public and Behavioral 4 Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. (NRS 450B.077, 5 450B.160) Existing law authorizes the Division to impose an administrative penalty 6 against any person who violates a provision of law governing emergency medical 7 services. (NRS 450B.900) Existing law requires the Division to use money 8 generated from such administrative penalties, fees from the issuance or renewal of a 9 license as an ambulance attendant or a firefighter or certain Legislative 10 appropriations to carry out certain training programs. (NRS 450B.1505) Section 1 11 of this bill additionally authorizes the Division to use such money to create and 12 maintain an information system containing the records of persons who have 13 completed the training program. 14 Existing law authorizes the Division or the district board of health, as 15 applicable, to issue annual permits and provisional permits for the operation of an 16 ambulance, an air ambulance or certain vehicles of a fire-fighting agency. Existing 17 – 2 – - *SB445* law requires the State Board of Health or district board of health, as applicable, to 18 establish fees for such annual and provisional permits. (NRS 450B.200, 450B.210) 19 Sections 2 and 3 of this bill provide that revenue from such fees collected by the 20 Division of Public and Behavioral Health must be accounted for separately and 21 does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year. 22 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 450B.1505 is hereby amended to read as 1 follows: 2 450B.1505 1. Any money the Division receives from a fee 3 set by the State Board of Health pursuant to NRS 439.150 for the 4 issuance or renewal of a license pursuant to NRS 450B.160, an 5 administrative penalty imposed pursuant to NRS 450B.900 or an 6 appropriation made by the Legislature for the purposes of training 7 related to emergency medical services: 8 (a) Must be deposited in the State Treasury and accounted for 9 separately in the State General Fund; 10 (b) May be used [only] to [carry] : 11 (1) Carry out a training program for emergency medical 12 services personnel who work for a volunteer ambulance service or 13 firefighting agency, including, without limitation, equipment for use 14 in the training; and 15 (2) Create and maintain a system containing the records of 16 persons who have completed such a training program; and 17 (c) Does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any 18 fiscal year. 19 2. Any interest or income earned on the money in the account 20 must be credited to the account. Any claims against the account 21 must be paid in the manner that other claims against the State are 22 paid. 23 3. The Administrator of the Division shall administer the 24 account. 25 Sec. 2. NRS 450B.200 is hereby amended to read as follows: 26 450B.200 1. The health authority may issue a permit for: 27 (a) The operation of an ambulance or an air ambulance; or 28 (b) The operation of a vehicle of a fire-fighting agency: 29 (1) At the scene of an emergency; and 30 (2) To provide community paramedicine services, but only if 31 the holder of the permit has obtained an endorsement on the permit 32 to provide such services pursuant to NRS 450B.1993. 33 2. Each permit must be evidenced by a card issued to the 34 holder of the permit. 35 – 3 – - *SB445* 3. No permit may be issued unless the applicant is qualified 1 pursuant to the regulations of the board. 2 4. An application for a permit must be made upon forms 3 prescribed by the board and in accordance with procedures 4 established by the board, and must contain the following: 5 (a) The name and address of the owner of the ambulance or air 6 ambulance or of the fire-fighting agency; 7 (b) The name under which the applicant is doing business or 8 proposes to do business, if applicable; 9 (c) A description of each ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of 10 a fire-fighting agency, including the make, year of manufacture and 11 chassis number, and the color scheme, insigne, name, monogram or 12 other distinguishing characteristics to be used to designate the 13 applicant’s ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle; 14 (d) The location and description of the places from which the 15 ambulance, air ambulance or fire-fighting agency intends to operate; 16 and 17 (e) Such other information as the board deems reasonable and 18 necessary to a fair determination of compliance with the provisions 19 of this chapter. 20 5. The board shall establish a reasonable fee for annual 21 permits. Revenue from such fees collected by the Division must be 22 accounted for separately and does not revert to the State General 23 Fund at the end of any fiscal year. 24 6. All permits expire on July 1 following the date of issue, and 25 are renewable annually thereafter upon payment of the fee required 26 by subsection 5 at least 30 days before the expiration date. 27 7. The health authority shall: 28 (a) Revoke, suspend or refuse to renew any permit issued 29 pursuant to this section for violation of any provision of this chapter 30 or of any regulation adopted by the board; or 31 (b) Bring an action in any court for violation of this chapter or 32 the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, 33 only after the holder of a permit is afforded an opportunity for a 34 public hearing pursuant to regulations adopted by the board. 35 8. The health authority may suspend a permit if the holder is 36 using an ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting 37 agency which does not meet the minimum requirements for 38 equipment as established by the board pursuant to this chapter. 39 9. In determining whether to issue a permit for the operation of 40 an air ambulance pursuant to this section, the health authority: 41 (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), may consider 42 the medical aspects of the operation of an air ambulance, including, 43 without limitation, aspects related to patient care; and 44 – 4 – - *SB445* (b) Shall not consider economic factors, including, without 1 limitation, factors related to the prices, routes or nonmedical 2 services of an air ambulance. 3 10. The issuance of a permit pursuant to this section or NRS 4 450B.210 does not authorize any person or governmental entity to 5 provide those services or to operate any ambulance, air ambulance 6 or vehicle of a fire-fighting agency not in conformity with any 7 ordinance or regulation enacted by any county, municipality or 8 special purpose district. 9 11. A permit issued pursuant to this section is valid throughout 10 the State, whether issued by the Division or a district board of 11 health. An ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting 12 agency which has received a permit from the district board of health 13 in a county whose population is 700,000 or more is not required to 14 obtain a permit from the Division, even if the ambulance, air 15 ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting agency has routine 16 operations outside the county. 17 12. The Division shall maintain a central registry of all permits 18 issued pursuant to this section, whether issued by the Division or a 19 district board of health. 20 13. The board shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to 21 carry out the provisions of this section. 22 Sec. 3. NRS 450B.210 is hereby amended to read as follows: 23 450B.210 1. The board may issue provisional permits limited 24 as to time, place and purpose, based on the need therefor. No 25 provisional permit may be issued for a period of longer than 6 26 months. The board may establish a reasonable fee for such 27 provisional permits. Revenue from such fees collected by the 28 Division must be accounted for separately and does not revert to 29 the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year. 30 2. Unless otherwise limited in the permit, a provisional permit 31 issued pursuant to this section is valid for providing emergency 32 services throughout the State, whether issued by the Division or a 33 district board of health. 34 3. In determining whether to issue a permit for the operation of 35 an air ambulance pursuant to this section, the health authority: 36 (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), may consider 37 the medical aspects of the operation of an air ambulance, including, 38 without limitation, aspects related to patient care; and 39 (b) Shall not consider economic factors, including, without 40 limitation, factors related to the prices, routes or nonmedical 41 services of an air ambulance. 42 Sec. 4. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2023. 43 H