BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair


          SB 1378 (Hancock) - Emergency medical services personnel.
          
          Amended: May 1, 2012            Policy Vote: Health 9-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: Yes
          Hearing Date: May 14, 2012      Consultant: Brendan McCarthy
          
          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
          
          
          Bill Summary: SB 1378 requires the medical director of a local 
          emergency medical services agency to evaluate the good character 
          and rehabilitation of an emergency medical technician who has a 
          prior conviction before denying certification.

          Fiscal Impact: 
              One-time costs up to $55,000 (General Fund or Emergency 
              Medical Technician Certification Fund) to revise existing 
              regulations.

              Unknown costs from local mandate claims (General Fund).

          Background: Under existing law, local emergency medical services 
          agencies are responsible for certifying emergency medical 
          technicians (class I and II). Existing law and regulation 
          authorizes local emergency medical services agencies to deny, 
          suspend, or revoke certificates for specified activities, 
          including prior criminal convictions.

          Proposed Law: SB 1378 requires the medical director of a local 
          emergency services agency to evaluate the good character and 
          rehabilitation of an applicant for a certificate who has a prior 
          criminal conviction before determining whether to issue the 
          certificate. The bill specifies several criteria to be evaluated 
          by the medical director. The bill also requires the medical 
          director to only consider convictions for which the applicant 
          was prosecuted as an adult when considering whether to deny a 
          certificate.

          Related Legislation: 
              AB 2917 (Torrico) Chapter 274 of 2007 required the state 
              Emergency Medical Services Agency to develop standards and 
              guidelines for certification of emergency medical 








          SB 1378 (Hancock)
          Page 1


              technicians.

              AB 1944 (Gatto) would revise the process for disciplining 
              emergency medical technician - paramedics (who are certified 
              at the state level). That bill is on the Assembly 
              Appropriations Committee's suspense file.

          Staff Comments: This bill essentially codifies existing 
          regulations and practice. The current regulations governing the 
          certification process require medical directors to consider the 
          rehabilitation of an applicant with a prior conviction. In 
          addition, the regulations generally require medical officers to 
          only consider adult convictions when considering whether to deny 
          a certificate.

          However, because the provisions of this bill do not exactly 
          conform to existing regulations, the state Emergency Medical 
          Services Authority will likely have to revise the existing 
          regulations to conform to this bill.

          Recommended Amendments: The bill requires costs that local 
          agencies may incur under the bill to be reimbursed by the state. 
          While the bill codifies existing regulations, putting these 
          requirements explicitly in statute may make some costs 
          reimbursable by the state.