Transcript Highlights:

• He was an EMT who works in Louisville.
• He was an EMT who works in Louisville.
• Uh, I understand it for EMTs. Absolutely. They need to get in there and save people.
• Uh, I understand it for EMTs. Absolutely. They need to get in there and save people.
• Uh, I understand it for EMTs. Absolutely. They need to get in there and save people.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. Senate Bill 47 would extend death benefits to paid and volunteer search and rescue personnel, treating them more like other emergency responders if killed in the line of duty. The sponsor and a Wolf County Search and Rescue chief described the dangers of the work and gave personal examples of serious injuries and near-death incidents to explain why the benefit was needed. Members asked about the fiscal note, which the sponsor said was minimal, and the bill received unanimous favorable passage. Senate Bill 159 was a reintroduced missing- and unidentified-persons measure intended to align state law with the federal Billy’s Act and improve reporting to NCIC and NamUs. The sponsor said the earlier version had technical problems and incorrectly assigned reporting responsibilities, so the bill was cleaned up to clarify that local agencies are the reporting agents. The Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police supported the bill, saying it would help bring missing people home and aid recovery efforts. The committee passed the bill unanimously with favorable expression. Senate Bill 104 created a 25-foot safety perimeter around first responders, including law enforcement and EMTs, and would penalize repeated interference, harassment, or intimidation with escalating offenses up to a felony on the fourth offense. The sponsor and supporters said the bill was needed to protect responders and give them room to work, citing examples of chaotic emergency scenes and a Louisville EMT who said interference was a frequent problem. Some members raised concerns about the felony penalty, the definition of harassment, and possible First Amendment issues for people filming police activity, but the sponsor said the bill defined harassment narrowly and was aimed at repeated, intentional interference. The transcript cuts off before the final vote on Senate Bill 104.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, members, I've had the honor of preserving life for 31 years as an EMT.
• That would have been my 27th year serving as an EMT.
• EMTs have a different obligation.
• EMTs have a different obligation.
• :23.680> a say that's wonderful and EMTs have a say that's wonderful and EMTs have a different

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we represent over 200 paramedics, dispatchers, and EMTs that work for Hennepin County EMS.
• <00:04:56.720> Uh, Association of Paramedics and EMTs.
• Uh, Association of Paramedics and EMTs.
• , and EM uh, EMTs that work for<00:05:03.759> Henipin<00:05:04.160> County<00:05:04.400
• I've been with of Paramedics and EMTs.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, paramedics are required as well as EMT basics and EMT intermediates.
• paramedics are required as well as EMT paramedics are required as well as EMT um<00:25:42.480>
• <00:25:44.960> Um um basics and EMT intermediates. Um um basics and EMT intermediates.
• basic EMTs. basic EMTs.
• <00:33:48.159> and I'm at anyway are um basic EMTs and I'm at anyway are um basic EMTs and

Bills: HB0004

Keywords: medical assistance, birthing centers, healthcare, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and our local emergency room director, who also is an EMT and works with the EMT groups, and both of
• and our local emergency room director, who also is an EMT and works with the EMT groups, and both of
• and our local emergency room director, who also is an EMT and works with the EMT groups, and both of
• and our local emergency room director, who also is an EMT and works with the EMT groups, and both of
• and our local emergency room director, who also is an EMT and works with the EMT groups, and both of

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don’t know what first responder EMT might want to know that they don’t know already.
• I think that That will hold true whether you're an EMT in Boston or an EMT in the South Shore.
• one way or the other whether a needs assessment is or wouldn't be beneficial for firefighter versus EMT
• So, for example, a firefighter will need much less clinical jargon compared to an EMT or a nurse.
• For EMTs should include, at a minimum, this information.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Working Group on Education and Training of the Special Commission on Xylazine held its first meeting to begin developing findings and recommendations on education and training for first responders, the medical community, the substance use treatment community, and people who use drugs. Members discussed the need for baseline information on what xylazine is, its clinical effects and harms, signs of exposure or poisoning, wound care, and immediate response steps, while also noting that training should be tailored by audience, geography, and role. Several members emphasized that the training should be practical and action-oriented, helping people recognize xylazine exposure and know what to do next, including whether naloxone is relevant and how to reduce risk and mitigate harm. A major theme was whether the group should recommend a needs assessment or survey to identify what different audiences already know and what they still need to learn. Members suggested that BSAS, DPH, local public health departments, licensing boards, and other stakeholders could help gather this information, and that existing resources such as DPH materials, MADS data, Brandeis materials, and trainings already being funded at BMC should be reviewed. The group also discussed the importance of using plain language for non-clinical audiences while still including clinical detail for providers, and of distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical training tracks. The working group agreed to divide into subgroups: Senator Keenan will focus on first responders, Dr. Simon on the medical community, and Millie Batiya on the substance use treatment community, while Chair Domb will focus on people who use drugs. Staff will send meeting notes, an early draft PowerPoint framework, and a shared Google Drive folder for materials. Members were asked to gather sources and ideas by November 25 ahead of the December 11 public meeting. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, a second, and unanimous thanks to staff and participants.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the engine units to to from the EMTs and the engine units to to all<00:48:38.960> of<00:48
• I have with me Shane Hallow, president of the Hennepin County Association of Paramedics and EMTs, and
• Tabakov, a union rep from the Hennepin County Association of Paramedics and EMTs, just like me.
• I'm the president of the Hennepin County Association of Paramedics and EMTs.
• and front line rather paramedics EMTs and front line rather paramedics EMTs and emergency<01:53:42.760

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I asked, have any of you ever been through classes like that, like an EMT?
• really you know I have a fellow EMT really you know I have a fellow EMT first<00:25:33.279> responder
• Representative Backer, and I guess we have another fellow EMT here too.
• Because the fellow EMT said you trained them.
• <00:28:57.799> and healthcare than just EMT and healthcare than just EMT and I<00:28:58.679

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Whereas with some of our EMTs, we've only got a workforce participation rate on an ambulance of about
• as an available option to use or EMTs as an available option to use some<00:26:58.400> of<00:
• They have become EMTs. Um, and this is taking the next step in their training.
• They have become EMTs. Um and this leap. They have become EMTs.
• higher than what we see at an EMT level. higher than what we see at an EMT level.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• For EMT, advanced EMT, and paramedic initial training, individuals are required to commit to serve the
• During the past biennium, 33 new paramedics and 143 new EMTs benefited from the program.
• EMR, EMT, and AEMT reimbursements track more closely to actual cost.
• And since they can't hire nurses because nurses are expensive, they hire EMTs and paramedics.
• And they can afford to pay EMTs and paramedics way more than EMS agencies are able to pay.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee was called to order, a quorum was established, and the minutes from the prior meeting were approved. The first major presentation came from Montana Public Employees Retirement System executive director William Hollahan, who gave an overview of Montana’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act plan. He explained that the plan covers volunteer firefighters in unincorporated areas, is funded by 5% of state fire insurance premium taxes, and currently serves 228 departments with about 2,936 active members and 1,242 retirees. He described eligibility rules, annual training and reporting requirements, benefit levels for partial and full pensions, disability, death, medical, and funeral benefits, and said the plan is actuarially sound with roughly $60 million in assets and a funded ratio slightly above 100%. Committee members asked about prior-service credit, whether EMS personnel are included, the effect on recruitment and retention, and whether expanding coverage would require a funding analysis; Hollahan said prior service is not credited, EMS is not currently included, and any expansion would need financial review. Tim Walleen of Workforce Safety and Insurance then presented a draft North Dakota workers’ compensation solution for volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS personnel. He explained that volunteer responders are already covered by workers’ comp for medical and wage-loss benefits, but the proposal would set a minimum annual wage of $30,000 for calculating wage-loss benefits for qualifying volunteers, with the benefit paid at two-thirds of that amount. Representative Porter suggested tying the volunteer definition to existing code rather than a fixed dollar amount, and Walleen agreed. Questions focused on whether search and rescue or other volunteer emergency services could be included, whether departments would face new paperwork, and whether volunteer organizations can already elect coverage; Walleen said there would be no additional paperwork and that volunteer coverage is already available. The committee also heard from volunteer fire service representatives and the state fire marshal. An Oakes-area firefighter, Mr. Olson, testified that small departments are struggling with retention, communication, and administrative burdens, especially around separate bookkeeping and funding rules for donated or fundraising money, and he said departments need clearer guidance from the state. State Fire Marshal Dr. Matthew Clark introduced himself and outlined a broader effort to improve education, support, and coordination for fire departments, including a planned 10% audit of certificates of existence beginning in 2027, more outreach through his office, and better assistance with training, reporting, and grant access. He said his office is authorized under current law to provide these services, but the role has been vague and underused. Finally, Arnagard Rural Fire District Chief Rick Schreiber testified in favor of new recruitment and retention ideas, including retirement-style benefits, health insurance, tax incentives, scholarships, grants, and more remote or regional training. He said volunteer departments are losing members, that local tax and donation funds are already stretched, and that any new retirement or incentive program should be sustainable and likely involve a mix of state and local support.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a firefighter, EMT, deputy chief in the town of Eping.
• paramedic<00:32:11.519> and uh EMR EMT Advanced EMT or paramedic and uh EMR EMT Advanced EMT
• But a medically trained EMT is the driver.
• But a medically trained EMT is the driver.
• <00:35:27.280> is<00:35:27.400> the EMT but a medically trained EMT is the EMT but

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When it's for a true medical emergency, fire agencies, EMTs, and paramedics can respond to provide life-saving
• But when it's not, the EMTs' and paramedics' specialized skills aren't put to good use, and emergency
• In terms of staffing, CARES programs were comprised of social workers, EMTs, paramedics, nurses, and
• In terms of staffing, CARES programs were comprised of social workers, EMTs, paramedics, nurses, and
• So if you live in Port Angeles, two community paramedics or EMTs would arrive.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s Initiative 900 subcommittee held a hybrid public hearing on two State Auditor performance audits. The first audit examined efforts to reduce non-emergency use of emergency systems through CARES programs. Auditors reported that Washington has 52 fire-agency-led CARES programs in 26 counties, but many communities without programs said they need one. Major barriers included unstable funding, difficulty hiring qualified staff, volunteer-based rural departments, and lack of statewide guidance. The audit also found that only about half of programs tracked both required performance measures, and it recommended that the legislature consider private insurance reimbursement options and convene a statewide work group to develop guidance, standards, and possible changes to the role of the Department of Health. Agency representatives and fire officials largely supported the findings and emphasized that short-term grants and one-year contracts make programs hard to sustain. Committee discussion focused heavily on financing, especially Medicaid reimbursement and accountable communities of health (ACHs). Auditors clarified that the 10% figure cited in the report referred to direct Medicaid reimbursement for treat-and-refer services, which some agencies do not pursue because the $115 rate is too low relative to the administrative effort. Several fire officials testified that their programs rely on grants and ACH support, but that funding is often year-to-year and uncertain. They also described the value of CARES programs in reducing emergency room use, jail detentions, and long ambulance wait times, while noting barriers to sharing patient records across systems. Members asked whether the new public safety sales tax authority could help, but fire district representatives said it is not a direct funding option for them. The second audit reviewed performance management in the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness. Auditors found that the division does not yet have a statewide economic development strategic plan and that performance management is inconsistent across its 16 programs. In a limited review, all six sampled programs had goals, but only half clearly identified performance measures and targets, and only three tracked outcomes and published results. The audit highlighted leading practices from other states, including strategic planning, regular progress reporting, aligning program goals with agency goals, and using performance-based contracts and grant monitoring. Recommendations urged Commerce to seek stakeholder input, assess internal and external conditions, set goals and measures, align programs with the strategy, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation. Commerce officials agreed with the audit and said the division is already working toward a strategic plan, with a new assistant director to be hired and a target of completing the work by mid-next year. Members pressed the department on how the plan would connect to workforce, higher education, housing, and other economic development systems, and asked Commerce to return to JLARC next year with progress updates. The meeting ended with instructions for submitting written public comments and notice of the next JLARC meeting schedule.

Transcript Highlights:

• McCalpin had kind of highlighted some of our different certification levels: EMT, AEMT, and paramedic
• We have a lot of individuals who get an EMT certification; they contribute to the system in other ways
• in Minnesota is $ for an EMT in Minnesota is $ 22265<00:26:08.080> an<00:26:08.480> hour
• While this was not specific to paramedics, it also included EMTs.
• <00:32:00.960> uh paramedics it also included uh EMTs uh paramedics it also included uh EMTs

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Like an EMT?
• Representative Bierman and I guess we have another fellow EMT here too.
• Because the fellow EMT said you trained him.
• I I think EMT said you trained him.
• And I know what I had to go just EMT.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• it has been implied, understood, and codified that first responders, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs
• I have been in my personal capacity as a firefighter and EMT for 15 years.
• And now that is in the back of the minds of every firefighter and every EMT in this state.
• . ...floor, this practice is to cover all EMTs and all first responders and all firefighters in the scope
• pretty much every state in the union has some sort of government immunity for firefighters and for EMTs

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• training people that actually have the jobs, and so these students are actually being able to take their EMT
• hospital<00:09:16.560> and<00:09:16.880> in<00:09:17.120> the<00:09:17.440> EMT
• staff at the hospital and in the EMT staff at the hospital and in the EMT program<00:09:18.399><
• when<00:09:31.120> they<00:09:31.360> graduate<00:09:31.920> and their EMT
• license when they graduate and their EMT license when they graduate and the<00:09:32.560> the

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 3732, with the author moving both the bill and two separate amendments. The DE1 amendment would create a healthcare workforce grant program to let the Department of Employment and Economic Development identify and fund healthcare workforce shortage areas, while the A1 amendment would establish an Office of Community Investment to provide strategic grant management and help align grants with legislative priorities. Both amendments were adopted, and the bill was laid over for later consideration. The bill author explained that the healthcare workforce proposal is meant to address shortages that market forces alone have not solved, citing examples such as CNA training and rural oncologist recruitment. The Office of Community Investment was described as a way to improve grant oversight, set clearer goals, and strengthen collaboration between agencies and the legislature, drawing on the model of the Office of Justice Programs. Testimony from the Mong American Partnership strongly supported the healthcare workforce grant program, describing successful CNA and phlebotomy pathways, but also noting long waitlists and the need for flexible funding. Members discussed the importance of locating training opportunities in greater Minnesota and in communities with workforce gaps, so distance and travel barriers do not limit access. Several legislators said the proposal would help create good-paying jobs, strengthen healthcare access, and support overworked healthcare workers. The bill’s sponsors also emphasized that codifying grant programs can speed up future funding decisions and improve accountability, and they said the measures would return for further consideration in a few days.

Transcript Highlights:

• Dollar tax credit per year for volunteer EMTs and volunteer firefighters for going out on 52 calls or
• The firefighters are supervised by one entity, the fire chiefs; the EMTs.
• And how many volunteer firefighters and EMTs do we have in the state? Just a ballpark, thank you.
• The Department of Health sets the standards and rules for the EMTs, and the State Fire Marshal works
• The EMT that was on duty decided that he needed to be flown out.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, HB 31 would allow New Mexico to be part of the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) compacts.
• different than the others in that people are certified within the state to meet the requirements of EMTs
• experience with what was happening in Ruidoso and there was a total lack of appropriate numbers of EMTs
• For example, with the EMTs, we're under the national average by about 2,300 EMTs.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• EMTs voted on it because all of the EMTs are going to get the raise, not just that particular EMT.
• They don't care if all of the other EMTs are getting the raise.
• 19:21.120> particular<01:19:22.040> EMT.
• Um we not just that particular EMT.
• EMTs are getting<01:19:45.520> the<01:19:45.760> raise.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• doulas, uh EMTs, paramedics, etc. doulas, uh EMTs, paramedics, etc.
• of EMTs and paramedics throughout<00:24:36.280> the<00:24:36.360> state.
• This is the ability for, like, an EMT or EMS to be dispatched to a home.
• So again, the EMT in consultation with the emergency physicians would explore that.
• So again, the EMT in appropriate.

Keywords: 958, all