AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 7; Title 56; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to an assessment on ground ambulance service providers.
Impact
The implementation of SB0984 will significantly alter the financial landscape for ground ambulance providers in Tennessee. By instituting a standardized quarterly assessment, the bill aims to create consistency in the funding mechanism for these services. This could enhance the financial sustainability of ambulance services, lead to better service availability, and ensure that emergency medical services are adequately funded statewide. Furthermore, the assessment rate is designed not to exceed six percent of the statewide net operating revenues from these services, thereby capping the potential financial impact on providers.
Summary
Senate Bill 984, also known as SB0984, proposes amendments to the Tennessee Code Annotated regarding the assessment on ground ambulance service providers. The bill establishes a uniform assessment fee of up to $20 per taxable transport, which will be based on the total number of transports made by an ambulance provider in a given quarter. This assessment is aimed at generating revenue to support the operational costs of ambulance services across the state, ensuring they can adequately respond to emergency medical calls.
Sentiment
The reaction to SB0984 has largely been favorable among stakeholders in the emergency medical services sector, who see it as a necessary measure to secure funding for their operations. The bill received unanimous support in the Senate during its voting process, indicating a broad consensus on its importance in addressing the funding needs of ambulance services. However, there is a sentiment of caution regarding the potential burden it may place on smaller providers who could struggle with the assessment fees, particularly those with lower transport volumes.
Contention
Despite the positive reception, some concerns were raised about the adequacy of data used for calculating assessments and how fair the uniform fee would be across differently sized providers. There was also debate over whether the provisions ensure that penalties for non-reporting are reasonable. The bill sets a penalty of $50 per day for providers who fail to report their transport data, which some stakeholders argue may be overly punitive and discourage smaller providers from continuing to operate or transitioning into the field.
Crossfiled
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 7; Title 56; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to an assessment on ground ambulance service providers.
Increasing the annual license fees of electric and hybrid passenger vehicles, trucks and electric motorcycles and distributing the fees to the state highway fund and the special city and county highway fund, modifying the threshold limit for allowing quarterly payments of certain truck and truck tractor annual vehicle registration fees and eliminating the two-quarter grace period for truck or truck tractor owners that have delinquent quarterly payments before certain penalties apply.