Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1471 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R7219 SCL-F
2	2	By: Seliger S.B. No. 1471
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the emergency medical services
8	8	assistance program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code, is amended
11	11	by adding Subchapter I to read as follows:
12	12	SUBCHAPTER I. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
13	13	Sec. 773.251. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
14	14	(1) "Educational curriculum" means a
15	15	distance-learning emergency medical services curriculum that
16	16	provides remote courses of instruction and training to emergency
17	17	medical services personnel who serve a rural area.
18	18	(2) "Postsecondary educational institution" means any
19	19	institution, public or private, which provides courses of
20	20	instruction beyond that offered in secondary schools.
21	21	(3) "Program" means the emergency medical services
22	22	assistance program established under this subchapter.
23	23	Sec. 773.252. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) The
24	24	department shall establish the emergency medical services
25	25	assistance program to provide financial and educational assistance
26	26	to eligible emergency medical services providers.
27	27	(b) The program includes grants to eligible emergency
28	28	medical services providers and an educational curriculum to provide
29	29	training to rural emergency medical services personnel.
30	30	Sec. 773.253. RULES. (a) The executive commissioner shall
31	31	adopt rules necessary to implement this subchapter, including rules
32	32	for:
33	33	(1) determining eligibility under the program;
34	34	(2) establishing requirements for the educational
35	35	curriculum; and
36	36	(3) establishing requirements for a postsecondary
37	37	educational institution that develops and offers the educational
38	38	curriculum.
39	39	(b) The rules must require that:
40	40	(1) an emergency medical services provider
41	41	demonstrate financial need to be eligible for assistance under the
42	42	program;
43	43	(2) a postsecondary educational institution applying
44	44	to offer the educational curriculum demonstrate the qualifications
45	45	necessary to develop and offer the educational curriculum; and
46	46	(3) the educational curriculum provide to rural
47	47	emergency medical services personnel the remote instructional
48	48	courses and training necessary for the personnel to achieve
49	49	department certification under Subchapter C.
50	50	Sec. 773.254. APPLICATION BY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
51	51	PROVIDER. (a) An emergency medical services provider may apply to
52	52	the department in the form and manner provided by department rule to
53	53	receive assistance under the program.
54	54	(b) If the department determines an applicant is eligible
55	55	for assistance under the program, the department may provide a
56	56	grant under this subchapter to the applicant.
57	57	Sec. 773.255. EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM. (a) A postsecondary
58	58	educational institution may apply to the department in the form and
59	59	manner provided by department rule to develop and offer the
60	60	educational curriculum under this subchapter.
61	61	(b) The department may contract with not more than three
62	62	qualified postsecondary educational institutions to develop and
63	63	offer the educational curriculum under this subchapter.
64	64	Sec. 773.256. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. The department may
65	65	provide administrative support to the program.
66	66	Sec. 773.257. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE
67	67	ACCOUNT. (a) In this section, "account" means the emergency
68	68	medical services assistance account established under this
69	69	section.
70	70	(b) The emergency medical services assistance account is
71	71	established as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund.
72	72	(c) The account is composed of:
73	73	(1) money deposited to the credit of the account under
74	74	Section 542.4031, Transportation Code; and
75	75	(2) notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government Code,
76	76	interest earned on the investment of money in the account and
77	77	depository interest allocable to the account.
78	78	(d) Money in the account may be appropriated to the
79	79	department only for the purposes described by Subsection (e).
80	80	(e) The commissioner may use the money appropriated from the
81	81	account to provide grants, in addition to funding available from
82	82	other sources, to emergency medical services providers applying for
83	83	assistance under the program or to provide funding to a
84	84	postsecondary educational institution offering the educational
85	85	curriculum under this subchapter.
86	86	Sec. 773.258. GRANT ALLOCATION. (a) The commissioner
87	87	shall ensure that at least 60 percent of the grants provided under
88	88	this subchapter are provided to emergency medical services
89	89	providers that serve a rural area.
90	90	(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall establish a
91	91	procedure for the Governor's EMS and Trauma Advisory Council to
92	92	establish priorities for issuance of grants under this subchapter.
93	93	(c) The department shall distribute grants under this
94	94	subchapter in accordance with the requirements of Subsection (a)
95	95	and the grant priorities established under Subsection (b).
96	96	SECTION 2. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, is
97	97	amended to read as follows:
98	98	(g) Of the money received by the comptroller under this
99	99	section, the comptroller shall deposit:
100	100	(1) 50.5 [67] percent to the credit of the undedicated
101	101	portion of the general revenue fund; [and]
102	102	(2) 33 percent to the credit of the designated trauma
103	103	facility and emergency medical services account under Section
104	104	780.003, Health and Safety Code; and
105	105	(3) 16.5 percent to the credit of the emergency
106	106	medical services assistance account under Section 773.257, Health
107	107	and Safety Code.
108	108	SECTION 3. Section 542.4031(g), Transportation Code, as
109	109	amended by this Act, applies only to the distribution of revenue
110	110	collected on or after the effective date of this Act. The
111	111	distribution of revenue collected before the effective date of this
112	112	Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the revenue was
113	113	collected, and that law is continued in effect for the purpose of
114	114	the distribution of that revenue.
115	115	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.