85R14341 SCL-F
By: Sheffield H.B. No. 3577
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services
educational 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 EDUCATIONAL 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
educational program established under this subchapter.
Sec. 773.252. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. The department
shall establish the emergency medical services educational program
to provide an educational curriculum for training 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) establishing requirements for the educational
curriculum; and
(2) establishing requirements for a postsecondary
educational institution that develops and offers the educational
curriculum.
(b) The rules must require that:
(1) a postsecondary educational institution applying
to offer the educational curriculum demonstrate the qualifications
necessary to develop and offer the educational curriculum; and
(2) 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. 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. 773.255. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. The department may
provide administrative support to the program.
Sec. 773.256. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES EDUCATIONAL
ACCOUNT. (a) In this section, "account" means the emergency
medical services educational account established under this
section.
(b) The emergency medical services educational 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 funding to a postsecondary educational
institution offering the educational curriculum under this
subchapter.
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 educational account under Section 773.256, 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.