HF 2464

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/02/2023 02:13pm

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; establishing a certification process for public safety
telecommunicators; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2022,
sections 403.02, by adding a subdivision; 403.11, subdivision 1; proposing coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 403; repealing Minnesota Statutes
2022, section 403.02, subdivision 17c.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 403.02, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:

new text begin Subd. 17e. new text end

new text begin Public safety telecommunicator. new text end

new text begin "Public safety telecommunicator" means
a person who is employed by a primary, secondary, or Tribal public safety answering point,
an emergency medical dispatch service provider, or both, and serves as an initial first
responder to answer incoming emergency telephone calls or provide for the appropriate
emergency response either directly or through communication with the appropriate public
safety answering point. This definition also includes those who supervise public safety
telecommunicators. Pursuant to section 403.051, after August 1, 2025, public safety
telecommunicators and those who directly manage or supervise public safety
telecommunicators must be certified by the commissioner.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [403.051] PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS; CERTIFICATION;
TRAINING; CONTINUING EDUCATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Certification required. new text end

new text begin After August 1, 2025, a public safety
telecommunicator must be certified by the commissioner to serve in that role.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Certification requirements; rulemaking. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of public
safety, in coordination with the Statewide Emergency Communications Board, must adopt
rules for certification requirements for public safety telecommunicators and establish in
rule criteria for training, certification, and continuing education that incorporate the
requirements set forth in paragraph (b).
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner must require that candidates for public safety telecommunicator
certification and recertification demonstrate, at a minimum, proficiency in the following
areas:
new text end

new text begin (1) public safety telecommunicator roles and responsibilities;
new text end

new text begin (2) applicable legal concepts;
new text end

new text begin (3) interpersonal skills;
new text end

new text begin (4) emergency communications technology and information systems;
new text end

new text begin (5) 911 call processing;
new text end

new text begin (6) emergency management;
new text end

new text begin (7) radio communications for the public safety telecommunicator;
new text end

new text begin (8) stress management; and
new text end

new text begin (9) quality performance standards management.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Continuing education. new text end

new text begin To maintain certification under this section, a public
safety telecommunicator must complete 48 hours of approved continuing education
coursework every two years.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 403.11, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Emergency telecommunications service fee; account.

(a) Each customer
of a wireless or wire-line switched or packet-based telecommunications service provider
connected to the public switched telephone network that furnishes service capable of
originating a 911 emergency telephone call is assessed a fee based upon the number of
wired or wireless telephone lines, or their equivalent, to cover the costs of ongoing
maintenance and related improvements for trunking and central office switching equipment
for 911 emergency telecommunications service, to offset administrative and staffing costs
of the commissioner related to managing the 911 emergency telecommunications service
program, to make distributions provided for in section 403.113, and to offset the costs,
including administrative and staffing costs, incurred by the State Patrol Division of the
Department of Public Safety in handling 911 emergency calls made from wireless phones.

(b) Money remaining in the 911 emergency telecommunications service account after
all other obligations are paid must not cancel and is carried forward to subsequent years
and deleted text begin may deleted text end new text begin must new text end be appropriated deleted text begin from time to time deleted text end to the commissioner to provide financial
assistance to counties for the improvement of local emergency telecommunications services new text begin ,
including public safety telecommunicator training, certification, and continuing education new text end .

(c) The fee may not be more than 95 cents a month on or after July 1, 2010, for each
customer access line or other basic access service, including trunk equivalents as designated
by the Public Utilities Commission for access charge purposes and including wireless
telecommunications services. With the approval of the commissioner of management and
budget, the commissioner of public safety shall establish the amount of the fee within the
limits specified and inform the companies and carriers of the amount to be collected. When
the revenue bonds authorized under section 403.27, subdivision 1, have been fully paid or
defeased, the commissioner shall reduce the fee to reflect that debt service on the bonds is
no longer needed. The commissioner shall provide companies and carriers a minimum of
45 days' notice of each fee change. The fee must be the same for all customers, except that
the fee imposed under this subdivision does not apply to prepaid wireless telecommunications
service, which is instead subject to the fee imposed under section 403.161, subdivision 1,
paragraph (a).

(d) The fee must be collected by each wireless or wire-line telecommunications service
provider subject to the fee. Fees are payable to and must be submitted to the commissioner
monthly before the 25th of each month following the month of collection, except that fees
may be submitted quarterly if less than $250 a month is due, or annually if less than $25 a
month is due. Receipts must be deposited in the state treasury and credited to a 911
emergency telecommunications service account in the special revenue fund. The money in
the account may only be used for 911 telecommunications services.

(e) Competitive local exchanges carriers holding certificates of authority from the Public
Utilities Commission are eligible to receive payment for recurring 911 services.

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION; PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR
CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING.
new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the 911 emergency telecommunications
service account to the commissioner of public safety for reimbursement grants to entities
that employ public safety telecommunicators for training and certification required under
Minnesota Statutes, section 403.051.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 403.02, subdivision 17c, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 23-04352

403.02 DEFINITIONS.

Subd. 17c.

911 telecommunicator.

"911 telecommunicator" means a person employed by a public safety answering point, an emergency medical dispatch service provider, or both, who is qualified to answer incoming emergency telephone calls or provide for the appropriate emergency response either directly or through communication with the appropriate public safety answering point.