AMBULANCE OPERATION - S.B. 297 (S-5): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 297 (Substitute S-5 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Loren Bennett
Committee: Health Policy and Senior Citizens
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to allow an ambulance operation that met the bill's requirements to obtain an ambulance operation upgrade license for a two-year period, and one renewal for a two-year period; require the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Coordinating Committee to review applications for ambulance operation upgrade licenses and recommend to the Department of Consumer and Industry Services (DCIS) whether a license should or should not be upgraded; require the DCIS to grant an ambulance operation upgrade license under certain circumstances and the payment of a $100 fee, and allow the DCIS to revoke or not renew an upgrade if an ambulance operation violated provisions of the bill or rules promulgated under it; forbid an ambulance operation from providing services under an upgraded license unless the ambulance's local medical control authority had adopted protocols for upgraded licenses; forbid an ambulance operation operating under an upgraded license from advertising, or otherwise holding itself out as, a full-time transporting limited advanced life support service or a full-time transporting advanced life support service unless the ambulance operation actually provided that service 24 hours per day, seven days per week; and require the DCIS, within three years of the bill's effective date, to report specific information to the Legislature.
MCL 333.20920 et al. - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne
FISCAL IMPACT
This bill would create an additional licensure category for ambulance operators in the State. Currently, all ambulance operators must obtain an operating license which is renewed annually for a fee of $100. To obtain this additional license the operator still would be required to obtain an annual license but also could apply for an Ambulance Operation Upgrade license, which would allow the operator to upgrade its existing services over a period of two years. The new license would be valid for a two-year period and could be renewed once for another two years. The fee for this license would be an additional $100. According to the Department of Consumer and Industry Services, there is no way to predict the number of applications that would be submitted under this new category so there is no way to determine what the administrative costs would be. It is estimated that the fees charged for processing these applications and issuing the licenses would cover most of the additional costs the DCIS would incur as a result of these additional responsibilities. Additionally, the bill would require the Department to compile and submit a report on the activity of this new program within a three-year period. According to the Department, existing resources would be used to cover the administrative costs associated with doing the report.
Date Completed: 5-16-97 - Fiscal Analyst: M. Tyszkiewicz
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.