BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Tom Torlakson, Chairman

                                           941 (Torrico)
          
          Hearing Date:  9/10/07          Amended: 9/7/07
          Consultant:  John Miller        Policy Vote: Not relevant
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          BILL SUMMARY:  AB 941, an urgency bill, requires the state  
          Emergency Medical Services Authority to maintain a central  
          registry for certified emergency medical technicians and to  
          adopt specified regulations for disciplining EMTs. Requires  
          employers of EMTs to investigate/discipline certified employees  
          and authorizes review of employer actions by local or state  
          authority.
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2007-08      2008-09       2009-10     Fund
           Regulation development $ 400      $ 100       $ 100     GF  

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          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.

          Under current law the medical director of a Local Emergency  
          Medical Services Agency investigates charges against emergency  
          personnel and is authorized to deny or suspend an emergency  
          medical technician's (EMTs) certificate for certain acts. The  
          state Emergency Medical Services Authority is now required to  
          assure consistency in the disciplinary actions of the local  
          agencies. This bill will, alternatively, require the employers  
          of EMTs to conduct disciplinary investigations and impose any  
          disciplinary action. The bill will require the state authority  
          to create a central registry to monitor certification of EMTs  
          and to adopt guidelines for the imposition of disciplinary  
          orders or suspensions and procedures for hearings and reviews.  
          The bill requires that employers conduct investigations  
          consistent with the Authority's guidelines and inform the local  
          director of any action taken. AB 941 further allows the local  
          director or state authority to act if the employers' discipline  
          was insufficient and exempts all disciplinary communications  










          from the Public Records Act. The bill alters the offenses  
          considered to pose a threat to public safety and/or grounds for  
          certification revocation.

          The bill will generate GF costs for the EMS Authority's  
          development of a centralized EMT certification registry and for  
          state guidelines/regulations for employer disciplinary actions.  
          The bill specifies that implementation of these costs will be  
          contingent on a specific appropriation in the budget act. The GF  
          cost estimate above is based on prior legislation. By changing  
          the criteria for discipline of EMTs the bill creates a local  
          mandate, however, the bill contains a "crimes" disclaimer.  
          Mandated costs for changes in the duties of local governments  
          are further minimized by the fact that EMTs pay certification  
          fees to local authorities. 

          There are roughly 70,000 EMTs of all types in California. This  
          bill's content is related to SB 583 (Ridley-Thomas, 2007) held  
          in this committee.