An Act to repeal 20.435 (1) (ck); to create 20.435 (1) (ck) of the statutes; Relating to: grants for community emergency medical services, grants for falls prevention awareness and initiatives, and making an appropriation. (FE)
AB970 would direct the Department of Health Services (DHS) to create a one-time pilot grant program for municipal emergency medical services (EMS) programs. The bill requires DHS to award grants to six EMS programs operated by a county, city, village, town, or combination of those governments, with preference for two rural, two suburban, and two urban programs. Grant recipients must use the funding to provide community EMS services and hire a full-time community paramedic or community EMS practitioner. If money remains after the initial awards, DHS may fund a seventh program. The bill also bars grants to programs that already employ a community paramedic or community EMS practitioner and requires recipients to report back within one year on effectiveness, estimated cost savings, and the number of people served.
In addition to the EMS pilot, AB970 requires DHS to award $200,000 in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging for statewide falls prevention awareness and initiatives. The bill includes appropriations for both the EMS grants and the falls prevention grant, and it creates and later repeals the statutory appropriation for the EMS grant program on July 1, 2027, reflecting its temporary pilot nature.
The bill would amend the state budget statutes to appropriate $600,000 for community emergency medical services grants and $200,000 in each of two fiscal years for falls prevention programming. It would also create a temporary continuing appropriation for the EMS pilot program, authorize DHS to administer the grants under specified eligibility and reporting rules, and then repeal that appropriation after the pilot period. The bill affects DHS administration, municipal EMS providers, and the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, while leaving the underlying licensing framework for community paramedics and community EMS practitioners in place.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported in the Assembly, passing 97-0, which suggests strong bipartisan or unanimous agreement on the need for targeted EMS and falls-prevention funding. The absence of recorded committee transcript discussion limits insight into detailed debate, but the vote history indicates little overt opposition at that stage. Overall, the bill’s tone is pragmatic and public-health oriented, emphasizing service expansion, rural/suburban/urban balance, and measurable outcomes.
There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record, but the bill’s design suggests a few possible points of policy interest: how DHS should balance awards among rural, suburban, and urban programs; whether limiting grants to EMS programs that do not already employ a community paramedic or practitioner is the best use of funds; and whether the temporary pilot structure and reporting requirements are sufficient to demonstrate effectiveness. Any disagreement would likely center on funding priorities, the scope of state involvement in local EMS staffing, and the choice to direct a dedicated grant to a specific nonprofit for falls prevention.