85R7219 SCL-F
By: Sheffield H.B. No. 1407
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
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) "Postsecondary educational institution" means any
institution, public or private, which provides courses of
instruction beyond that offered in secondary schools.
(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 postsecondary
educational institution 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 postsecondary educational institution 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 this subchapter to the applicant.
Sec. 773.255. EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM. (a) A postsecondary
educational institution 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 postsecondary educational institutions 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. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE
ACCOUNT. (a) In this section, "account" means the emergency
medical services assistance account established under this
section.
(b) The emergency medical services assistance account is
established as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund.
(c) The account is composed of:
(1) money deposited to the credit of the account under
Section 542.4031, Transportation Code; and
(2) notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government Code,
interest earned on the investment of money in the account and
depository interest allocable to the account.
(d) Money in the account may be appropriated to the
department only for the purposes described by Subsection (e).
(e) The commissioner may use the money appropriated from the
account 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
postsecondary educational institution offering the educational
curriculum under this subchapter.
Sec. 773.258. GRANT ALLOCATION. (a) The commissioner
shall ensure that at least 60 percent of the grants provided under
this subchapter are provided to emergency medical services
providers that serve a rural area.
(b) 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 subchapter.
(c) The department shall distribute grants under this
subchapter in accordance with the requirements of Subsection (a)
and the grant priorities established under Subsection (b).
SECTION 2. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(g) Of the money received by the comptroller under this
section, the comptroller shall deposit:
(1) 50.5 [67] percent to the credit of the undedicated
portion of the general revenue fund; [and]
(2) 33 percent to the credit of the designated trauma
facility and emergency medical services account under Section
780.003, Health and Safety Code; and
(3) 16.5 percent to the credit of the emergency
medical services assistance account under Section 773.257, Health
and Safety Code.
SECTION 3. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, as
amended by this Act, applies only to the distribution of revenue
collected on or after the effective date of this Act. The
distribution of revenue collected before the effective date of this
Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the revenue was
collected, and that law is continued in effect for the purpose of
the distribution of that revenue.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.