Will Railsback — Director for Caldwell County Ambulance in Northwest Missouri; testified in favor of the bill and described starting a community paramedic program in 2025.
Peggy McGaugh — Representative McGaugh was invited to comment and then thanked the witness for traveling to advocate for the service. She explained that the issue is personally important because her 92-year-old mother lives alone, and it is also important for people in her area who need this type of support.
Peggy McGaugh — Representative Peggy McGaugh questions the sponsor while praising his work on county government, then continues by comparing the current bill to prior legislation and referencing her work with Senator Crawford as part of the same legislative discussion.
Jackie Barge — Registered lobbyist for the Missouri State Council of Firefighters; testified in opposition to Senate Bill 975 while stating no opposition to the underlying bill or House Bill 2600.
Mark Alexander — Mark Alexander, Director of EMS for Cox Health in Springfield, Missouri, testified in support of expanding community paramedicine in Missouri. He described how Cox Health’s community paramedic program evolved from early-discharge support during COVID to a focus on high-risk readmissions, noted that the program serves five counties and works alongside local EMS systems, and urged lawmakers to allow the field to grow. He also explained broader EMS funding challenges, especially in rural areas with sparse populations and limited tax bases, supported making it easier for ambulance districts to merge and achieve economies of scale, and said that MOU issues do not interfere with care delivery. He concluded that resolving the MOU concerns could help move the bill forward.
Colin Wellenkamp — Colin Wellenkamp questioned whether the Senate amendment was solving a real problem, noting that MOU-based community paramedic arrangements can already address care gaps quickly, especially in dense urban areas like his own city. He then raised concern about the real issue being entities that refuse to enter into MOUs with community paramedic programs, rather than a systemic gap in the MOU framework.
Rodger Reedy — Representative Rodger Reedy is introduced as the sponsor of House Bill 3496 and then presents the bill, explaining that it sets salary schedules for county officials. He emphasizes that county salary-setting is a strong form of local control, notes that the base salary formula has not changed in 45 years, and explains that the Missouri Association of Counties helped develop updated valuation ranges. He adds that counties can still set salaries below 100% based on affordability, concluding that the bill preserves local control. Later, he is addressed and praised by committee members as the gentleman from Benton County and recognized for his work on county government.
Sandy Crawford — Referenced as having worked with the sponsor on Senate Bill 1 last year.
SB1 — Senate Bill 1 is referenced as a prior bill and comparison point, with the speaker noting that they only had time that morning to review it.
SB2 — Senate Bill 2 is referenced in the context of keeping it aligned with the public administrators and the other schedules, with the discussion repeating the same coordination point across the related schedules.
Steve Hobbs — Steve Hobbs, Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Counties, introduces himself and explains that he is appearing in place of the task force chairperson.
Mr. Hobbs — Chair thanks Steve Hobbs and closes his testimony.
Joe Gildon House — Identifies himself as presiding commissioner of Warren County, past president of CCAM, and a member of the Executive Board of Missouri Associated Counties; states support for the bill.