BILL NUMBER: SB 700	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Berryhill

                        FEBRUARY 27, 2015

   An act to amend Section 1797.172 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to emergency medical services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 700, as introduced, Berryhill. Emergency medical services.
   Under existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the
Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, the Emergency
Medical Services Authority is responsible for establishing minimum
standards and promulgating regulations for the training and scope of
practice for emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P).
   This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these
provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 1797.172 of the Health and Safety Code is
amended to read:
   1797.172.  (a) The authority shall develop and, after approval by
the commission pursuant to Section 1799.50, adopt minimum standards
for the training and scope of practice for EMT-P.
   (b) The approval of the director, in consultation with a committee
of local EMS medical directors named by the EMS Medical Directors
Association of California, is required prior to implementation of any
addition to a local optional scope of practice for EMT-Ps proposed
by the medical director of a local EMS agency.
   (c) Notwithstanding any other  provision of  law,
the authority shall be the agency solely responsible for licensure
and licensure renewal of EMT-Ps who meet the standards and are not
precluded from licensure  because of any of the reasons
listed in   pursuant to  subdivision  (d)
  (i)  of Section 1798.200. Each application for
licensure or licensure renewal shall require the applicant's social
security number in order to establish the identity of the applicant.
The information obtained as a result of a state and federal level
criminal offender record information search shall be used in
accordance with Section 11105 of the Penal Code, and to determine
whether the applicant is subject to denial of licensure or licensure
renewal pursuant to this division. Submission of fingerprint images
to the Department of Justice may not be required for licensure
renewal upon determination by the authority that fingerprint images
have previously been submitted to the Department of Justice during
initial licensure, or a previous licensure renewal, provided that the
license has not lapsed and the applicant has resided continuously in
the state since the initial licensure.
   (d) The authority shall charge fees for the licensure and
licensure renewal of EMT-Ps in an amount sufficient to support the
authority's licensure program at a level that ensures the
qualifications of the individuals licensed to provide quality care.
The basic fee for licensure or licensure renewal of an EMT-P shall
not exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125) until the adoption
of regulations that specify a different amount that does not exceed
the authority's EMT-P licensure, license renewal, and enforcement
programs. The authority shall annually evaluate fees to determine if
the fee is sufficient to fund the actual costs of the authority's
licensure, licensure renewal, and enforcement programs. If the
evaluation shows that the fees are excessive or are insufficient to
fund the actual costs of the authority's EMT-P licensure, licensure
renewal, and enforcement programs, then the fees shall be adjusted
accordingly through the rulemaking process described in the
Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
Separate additional fees may be charged, at the option of the
authority, for services that are not shared by all applicants for
licensure and licensure renewal, including, but not limited to, any
of the following services:
   (1) Initial application for licensure as an EMT-P.
   (2) Competency testing, the fee for which shall not exceed thirty
dollars ($30), except that an additional fee may be charged for the
cost of  any  services that provide enhanced
availability of the exam for the convenience of the EMT-P, 
such as  including, but not limited to,  on-demand
electronic testing.
   (3) Fingerprint and criminal record check. The applicant shall, if
applicable according to subdivision (c), submit fingerprint images
and related information for criminal offender record information
searches with the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
   (4) Out-of-state training equivalency determination.
   (5) Verification of continuing education for a lapse in licensure.

   (6) Replacement of a lost licensure card. The fees charged for
individual services shall be set so that the total fees charged to
EMT-Ps shall not exceed the authority's actual total cost for the
EMT-P licensure program.
   (e) The authority may provide nonconfidential, nonpersonal
information relating to EMS programs to interested persons upon
request, and may establish and assess fees for the provision of this
information. These fees shall not exceed the costs of providing the
information.
   (f) At the option of the authority, fees may be collected for the
authority by an entity that contracts with the authority to provide
any of the services associated with the EMT-P program. All fees
collected for the authority in a calendar month by  any
  an  entity designated by the authority pursuant
to this section to collect fees for the authority shall be
transmitted to the authority for deposit into the Emergency Medical
Services Personnel Fund within 30 calendar days following the last
day of the calendar month in which the fees were received by the
designated entity, unless the contract between the entity and the
authority specifies a different timeframe.