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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the awarding of grants to initiate, expand, maintain, |
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| 7 | 7 | | and improve emergency medical services and to support medical |
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| 8 | 8 | | systems and facilities that provide trauma care. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 3. Section 773.119(b), Health and Safety Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b) The executive commissioner by rule shall establish |
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| 13 | 13 | | eligibility criteria for awarding the grants. The rules must |
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| 14 | 14 | | require the department to consider: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) the need of an area for the provision of emergency |
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| 16 | 16 | | medical services or trauma care and the extent to which the grant |
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| 17 | 17 | | would meet the identified need; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) the availability of personnel and training |
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| 19 | 19 | | programs; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) the availability of other funding sources; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) the assurance of providing quality services; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (5) the use or acquisition of helicopters for |
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| 23 | 23 | | emergency medical evacuation; [and] |
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| 24 | 24 | | (6) the development or existence of an emergency |
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| 25 | 25 | | medical services system; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (7) the development of a centralized system for the |
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| 27 | 27 | | dispatch, triage, transport, and transfer of patients, including |
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| 28 | 28 | | the use or acquisition of technology, to ensure coordinated patient |
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| 29 | 29 | | transports and transfers, the efficient utilization of trauma care |
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| 30 | 30 | | and emergency medical services. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 32 | 32 | | a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as |
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| 33 | 33 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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