- 82nd Session (2023)
Senate Bill No. 445–Committee on Finance
CHAPTER..........
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
services personnel, including ambulance attendants and firefighters, by: (1) in a
county whose population is 700,000 or more (currently Clark County), the district
board of health; and (2) in all other counties, the Division of Public and Behavioral
Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. (NRS 450B.077,
450B.160) Existing law authorizes the Division to impose an administrative penalty
against any person who violates a provision of law governing emergency medical
services. (NRS 450B.900) Existing law requires the Division to use money
generated from such administrative penalties, fees from the issuance or renewal of a
license as an ambulance attendant or a firefighter or certain Legislative
appropriations to carry out certain training programs. (NRS 450B.1505) Section 1
of this bill additionally authorizes the Division to use such money to create and
maintain an information system containing the records of persons who have
completed the training program.
Existing law authorizes the Division or the district board of health, as
applicable, to issue annual permits and provisional permits for the operation of an
ambulance, an air ambulance or certain vehicles of a fire-fighting agency. Existing
law requires the State Board of Health or district board of health, as applicable, to
establish fees for such annual and provisional permits. (NRS 450B.200, 450B.210)
Sections 2 and 3 of this bill provide that revenue from such fees collected by the
Division of Public and Behavioral Health must be accounted for separately and
does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year.
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
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
follows:
450B.1505 1. Any money the Division receives from a fee
set by the State Board of Health pursuant to NRS 439.150 for the
issuance or renewal of a license pursuant to NRS 450B.160, an
administrative penalty imposed pursuant to NRS 450B.900 or an
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appropriation made by the Legislature for the purposes of training
related to emergency medical services:
(a) Must be deposited in the State Treasury and accounted for
separately in the State General Fund;
(b) May be used [only] to [carry] :
(1) Carry out a training program for emergency medical
services personnel who work for a volunteer ambulance service or
firefighting agency, including, without limitation, equipment for use
in the training; and
(2) Create and maintain a system containing the records of
persons who have completed such a training program; and
(c) Does not revert to the State General Fund at the end of any
fiscal year.
2. Any interest or income earned on the money in the account
must be credited to the account. Any claims against the account
must be paid in the manner that other claims against the State are
paid.
3. The Administrator of the Division shall administer the
account.
Sec. 2. NRS 450B.200 is hereby amended to read as follows:
450B.200 1. The health authority may issue a permit for:
(a) The operation of an ambulance or an air ambulance; or
(b) The operation of a vehicle of a fire-fighting agency:
(1) At the scene of an emergency; and
(2) To provide community paramedicine services, but only if
the holder of the permit has obtained an endorsement on the permit
to provide such services pursuant to NRS 450B.1993.
2. Each permit must be evidenced by a card issued to the
holder of the permit.
3. No permit may be issued unless the applicant is qualified
pursuant to the regulations of the board.
4. An application for a permit must be made upon forms
prescribed by the board and in accordance with procedures
established by the board, and must contain the following:
(a) The name and address of the owner of the ambulance or air
ambulance or of the fire-fighting agency;
(b) The name under which the applicant is doing business or
proposes to do business, if applicable;
(c) A description of each ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of
a fire-fighting agency, including the make, year of manufacture and
chassis number, and the color scheme, insigne, name, monogram or
other distinguishing characteristics to be used to designate the
applicant’s ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle;
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(d) The location and description of the places from which the
ambulance, air ambulance or fire-fighting agency intends to operate;
and
(e) Such other information as the board deems reasonable and
necessary to a fair determination of compliance with the provisions
of this chapter.
5. The board shall establish a reasonable fee for annual
permits. Revenue from such fees collected by the Division must be
accounted for separately and does not revert to the State General
Fund at the end of any fiscal year.
6. All permits expire on July 1 following the date of issue, and
are renewable annually thereafter upon payment of the fee required
by subsection 5 at least 30 days before the expiration date.
7. The health authority shall:
(a) Revoke, suspend or refuse to renew any permit issued
pursuant to this section for violation of any provision of this chapter
or of any regulation adopted by the board; or
(b) Bring an action in any court for violation of this chapter or
the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter,
only after the holder of a permit is afforded an opportunity for a
public hearing pursuant to regulations adopted by the board.
8. The health authority may suspend a permit if the holder is
using an ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting
agency which does not meet the minimum requirements for
equipment as established by the board pursuant to this chapter.
9. In determining whether to issue a permit for the operation of
an air ambulance pursuant to this section, the health authority:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), may consider
the medical aspects of the operation of an air ambulance, including,
without limitation, aspects related to patient care; and
(b) Shall not consider economic factors, including, without
limitation, factors related to the prices, routes or nonmedical
services of an air ambulance.
10. The issuance of a permit pursuant to this section or NRS
450B.210 does not authorize any person or governmental entity to
provide those services or to operate any ambulance, air ambulance
or vehicle of a fire-fighting agency not in conformity with any
ordinance or regulation enacted by any county, municipality or
special purpose district.
11. A permit issued pursuant to this section is valid throughout
the State, whether issued by the Division or a district board of
health. An ambulance, air ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting
agency which has received a permit from the district board of health
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- 82nd Session (2023)
in a county whose population is 700,000 or more is not required to
obtain a permit from the Division, even if the ambulance, air
ambulance or vehicle of a fire-fighting agency has routine
operations outside the county.
12. The Division shall maintain a central registry of all permits
issued pursuant to this section, whether issued by the Division or a
district board of health.
13. The board shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to
carry out the provisions of this section.
Sec. 3. NRS 450B.210 is hereby amended to read as follows:
450B.210 1. The board may issue provisional permits limited
as to time, place and purpose, based on the need therefor. No
provisional permit may be issued for a period of longer than 6
months. The board may establish a reasonable fee for such
provisional permits. Revenue from such fees collected by the
Division must be accounted for separately and does not revert to
the State General Fund at the end of any fiscal year.
2. Unless otherwise limited in the permit, a provisional permit
issued pursuant to this section is valid for providing emergency
services throughout the State, whether issued by the Division or a
district board of health.
3. In determining whether to issue a permit for the operation of
an air ambulance pursuant to this section, the health authority:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), may consider
the medical aspects of the operation of an air ambulance, including,
without limitation, aspects related to patient care; and
(b) Shall not consider economic factors, including, without
limitation, factors related to the prices, routes or nonmedical
services of an air ambulance.
Sec. 4. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2023.
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