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STATE OF WYOMING Working Draft
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DRAFT ONLY
NOT APPROVED FOR
INTRODUCTION
HOUSE BILL NO.
EMS-essential service grants.
Sponsored by: Joint Labor, Health & Social Services Interim Committee
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to emergency medical services; providing
2 legislative findings; declaring emergency medical services
3 an essential service; creating the emergency medical
4 services account; authorizing the department of health to
5 administer the account as specified; requiring rulemaking;
6 providing an appropriation; and providing for effective
7 dates.
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
10
11 Section 1. W.S. 33-36-116 is created to read:
12
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1 33-36-116. Legislative findings; declaring emergency
2 medical services an essential service; emergency medical
3 services account created; department of health to oversee
4 emergency medical services grants.
5
6 (a) The legislature finds and declares that emergency
7 medical services are an essential service. The legislature
8 finds that the provision of emergency medical services is a
9 matter of vital concern affecting the public health, safety
10 and welfare of the citizens of Wyoming. It is the purpose
11 of this section to promote the maintenance of an effective
12 system of emergency medical services, including the
13 necessary equipment, personnel and facilities to ensure
14 that all emergency patients receive prompt and adequate
15 medical care throughout the range of emergency conditions
16 encountered.
17
18 (b) There is established an account to be known as
19 the emergency medical services account. Funds in the
20 account are appropriated to the department of health for
21 purposes of providing grants to political subdivisions
22 within the state that are in need of emergency medical
23 service funding. The account shall consist of those funds
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1 appropriated to the account by the legislature and all
2 monies received from federal grants and other
3 contributions, grants, gifts, transfers, bequests and
4 donations to the account. Earnings accruing to the account
5 shall be retained in the account and shall be expended for
6 the purposes provided in this section. Unless otherwise
7 provided in the appropriation, appropriations to the
8 account shall not lapse or revert at the end of any fiscal
9 period.
10
11 (c) Beginning November 1, 2024 and every fiscal year
12 thereafter, the department of health shall request an
13 appropriation to fund the emergency medical services
14 account from the joint appropriations committee.
15
16 (d) The department of health is authorized to expend
17 monies in the emergency medical services account for
18 purposes of providing grants to political subdivisions
19 within the state for the continued beneficial operation of
20 emergency medical service providers in the state.
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1 (e) The department of health shall promulgate rules
2 and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this
3 section including rules related to:
4
5 (i) Grant application procedure;
6
7 (ii) Grant eligibility;
8
9 (iii) Procedures for distributing grants.
10
11 (f) To qualify for a grant under this section, an
12 applicant shall:
13
14 (i) Be a political subdivision as defined by
15 W.S. 9-11-102(a)(ii);
16
17 (ii) Submit an application;
18
19 (iii) Operate an emergency medical services
20 program;
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1 (iv) Demonstrate a need of funding for personnel
2 salaries, operating costs, training, equipment, facilities
3 and other expenses.
4
5 (f) The department of health shall to the extent
6 reasonably possible and practical make grants to applicants
7 from all geographic parts of the state based upon need.
8
9 ***********************************************************
10 *******************
11 STAFF COMMENT
12
13 The Committee may wish to promulgate other rules and
14 regulations regarding the qualification for grants under
15 this section.
16
17 This bill draft is one of many ways the Committee could
18 provide funding for emergency medical services as an
19 essential service.
20
21 Some states authorize their counties to declare EMS an
22 essential service within the county, which is then funded
23 through a process similar to Wyoming's mill levies. In
24 other states, the Department of Health or a similar agency
25 is tasked with overseeing a statewide EMS system. EMS
26 services in other states are funded in a variety of ways,
27 such as additional taxes, surcharges on traffic violations,
28 legislative appropriations or the creation of trust funds.
29
30 ***********************************************************
31 *******************
32
33 Section 2. The department of health shall promulgate
34 all rules necessary to implement this act.
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1
2 Section 3. There is appropriated XXX (XXX) from the
3 general fund to the emergency medical services account for
4 purposes of implementing this act. This appropriation shall
5 not be transferred or expended without further legislative
6 authorization. Notwithstanding W.S. 9-2-1008, 9-2-1012(e)
7 and 9-4-207, this appropriation shall remain in effect and
8 not lapse or revert at the end of the fiscal period except
9 upon further legislative action.
10
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13 STAFF COMMENT
14 Please indicate an amount for the appropriation above.
15
16 ***********************************************************
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18
19 Section 4.
20
21 (a) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (b) of
22 this section, this act is effective July 1, 2024.
23
24 (b) Sections 2 and 4 of this act are effective
25 immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a
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1 bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of
2 the Wyoming Constitution.
3
4 (END)
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