Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3000 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025S0114-1 02/14/25
2	2	By: King H.B. No. 3000
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6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to a grant program to provide financial assistance to
10	10	qualified ambulance service providers in certain rural counties.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government
13	13	Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 130.914. RURAL AMBULANCE SERVICE GRANT PROGRAM. (a)
15	15	In this section:
16	16	(1) "Grant program" means the rural ambulance service
17	17	grant program established by this section.
18	18	(2) "Qualified county" is a county that has a
19	19	population of 68,750 or less.
20	20	(3) "Qualified rural ambulance service provider"
21	21	means a private safety entity or public agency as those terms are
22	22	defined by Section 772.001, Health and Safety Code, licensed by the
23	23	Department of State Health Services to provide emergency medical
24	24	services and operating predominantly in a rural area.
25	25	(b) The comptroller shall establish and administer the
26	26	rural ambulance service grant program to support the state purpose
27	27	of ensuring adequate ground ambulance services by providing
28	28	financial assistance to qualified rural ambulance service
29	29	providers in qualified counties.
30	30	(c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a
31	31	qualified county's fiscal year, the county may submit a grant
32	32	application to the comptroller. A county may submit only one
33	33	application each fiscal year. If a county is awarded a grant under
34	34	this program, the county is ineligible to apply for an additional
35	35	grant.
36	36	(d) The comptroller may award a grant to a qualified county
37	37	using money appropriated to the comptroller for that purpose and
38	38	only in accordance with a contract between the comptroller and the
39	39	county that includes conditions providing the comptroller with
40	40	sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of providing
41	41	adequate ground ambulance services is accomplished. In awarding
42	42	grants, the comptroller shall consider:
43	43	(1) the distance from a qualified county's county seat
44	44	to the nearest Level I trauma facility; and
45	45	(2) the county's ability to otherwise obtain the money
46	46	necessary to provide adequate ground ambulance services.
47	47	(e) The comptroller may award a grant under this section
48	48	only in the following applicable amount:
49	49	(1) for a county with a population of less than 10,000,
50	50	an amount not to exceed $500,000; or
51	51	(2) for a county with a population between 10,000 and
52	52	68,750, an amount not to exceed $350,000.
53	53	(f) A qualified county awarded a grant under this section
54	54	may use or authorize the use of the grant money only to purchase
55	55	ambulances as provided by comptroller rule.
56	56	(g) A qualified county awarded a grant under this section
57	57	may not reduce the budget of the qualified rural ambulance service
58	58	provider for the county's next fiscal year following the fiscal
59	59	year of the grant award.
60	60	(h) The comptroller may disburse a grant award to a
61	61	qualified county before the county places an order for an
62	62	ambulance. The county shall purchase and take possession of an
63	63	ambulance with money awarded under the grant program not later than
64	64	the fifth anniversary of the date the county receives the money.
65	65	The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to implement this
66	66	section, including rules to establish:
67	67	(1) a standardized application process, the form to
68	68	apply for a grant, and the manner of submitting the form;
69	69	(2) deadlines for:
70	70	(A) applying for a grant;
71	71	(B) disbursing grant money; and
72	72	(C) spending grant money;
73	73	(3) procedures for:
74	74	(A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to
75	75	ensure compliance with this section; and
76	76	(B) requiring the return of grant money awarded
77	77	if a county fails to use the money for a purpose authorized by this
78	78	section; and
79	79	(4) the type of ground ambulance vehicles that may be
80	80	purchased with grant money.
81	81	SECTION 2. A qualified county, as defined by Section
82	82	130.914(a)(2), Local Government Code, as added by this Act, may
83	83	apply for a rural ambulance service grant on or after January 1,
84	84	2026.
85	85	SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2026, the comptroller
86	86	of public accounts shall establish and administer the rural
87	87	ambulance service grant program and adopt the rules necessary to
88	88	implement the program as required by Section 130.914, Local
89	89	Government Code, as added by this Act.
90	90	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.