BILL NUMBER: S7501A
SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general municipal law and the public health law, in
relation to emergency medical services
 
PURPOSE OF BILL:
Establishes an emergency medical services local planning process to
provide for counties, cities, towns, and villages to develop a compre-
hensive plan to provide for coordinated emergency medical services with-
in their counties.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 adds a new subdivision 6 to section 122-b of the general
municipal law to require counties, in coordination with their regional
emergency medical services council, to work with the municipalities
within the county to develop a comprehensive plan to provide for a coor-
dinated emergency medical system within that county. The planning proc-
ess shall include assessment of the existing level of emergency medical
services in each area of the county, a plan to increase or provide
service where additional service is needed, a determination as to what
organizational structure will be utilized to provide such service and
cost estimates to provide service in areas requiring service levels
greater than currently available.
Such plan shall specify which entity or entities, and which organiza-
tional structure will be utilized for providing such services and how
those costs will be assigned. Such plan may utilize municipal, intermu-
nicipal, not-for-profit or for-profit contract coverage, special
district, or regional agreements for providing service in each area of
the county.
These plans shall be submitted within six months of the effective date
of this section to the department of health and the state emergency
medical services council for review and comment.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York is facing a crisis in providing emergency medical services
(EMS) throughout the state, with programs closing, staffing pressures
increasing, and response times growing in some areas. Other areas are
functioning as New Yorkersò have a right to expect.
Reform efforts have been discussed for several years without agreement
on a path forward. To advance this process, this legislation focuses on
establishing a local review and planning process involving counties,
cities, towns, and villages directed towards assessing service levels in
each of their counties and developing a plan to move us forward to
ensure every New Yorker is provided reliable service.
The mandate for this process will be to have local governments assess
the existing level of service, develop a plan to increase service where
additional service is needed, a determination of what organizational
structure will be utilized to provide services in each area of the coun-
ty, and cost estimates to provide such service.
The goal of the legislation is to provide a county-by-county assessment
that will provide a roadmap for statewide improvements in providing EMS
service going forward. The process can be matched with efforts to devel-
op a statewide plan that matches the variety of ways services are
provided throughout New York.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S4020C/A3392C, passed Senate, died in Assembly
2021-2022: S8432A/A9509A, referred to Local Government
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S7501: 122-b general municipal law, 122-b(1) general municipal law, 3000 public health law, 3001 public health law, 3001(1) public health law, 3020 public health law
S7501A: 122-b general municipal law