HF 2473

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 04/02/2024 12:55pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a rural ambulance service staffing grant program;
appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
144E.

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

Section 1.

new text begin [144E.51] RURAL AMBULANCE SERVICE STAFFING GRANT
PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definition. new text end

new text begin For purposes of this section, "rural ambulance service" means
an ambulance service whose primary service area is mainly located outside the metropolitan
counties listed in section 473.121, subdivision 4, and outside the cities of Duluth, Mankato,
Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Grant program. new text end

new text begin (a) The board shall establish and administer a program to
award grants to eligible rural ambulance services for certain rural ambulance service staffing
costs.
new text end

new text begin (b) In administering the grant program, the board shall coordinate with the boards of the
regional emergency medical services systems in the state.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Eligible rural ambulance services. new text end

new text begin In order to be eligible for a grant under
this section, a rural ambulance service must:
new text end

new text begin (1) be publicly owned or be organized as or owned by a nonprofit corporation; and
new text end

new text begin (2) in the calendar year prior to the year the rural ambulance service first applies for a
grant, have had at least 60 percent of its ambulance service staffing provided by volunteer
ambulance attendants.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Application. new text end

new text begin An eligible rural ambulance service seeking a grant under this
section must apply to the board in a form and manner specified by the board and according
to timelines established by the board. In its application, the rural ambulance service must
specify the number of personnel it plans to hire using grant money, the number of hours
per week it plans to staff the ambulance service using grant money, and other information
required by the board.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Allowable uses of grant money; maximum grant amount. new text end

new text begin (a) A rural
ambulance service must use grant money awarded under this section only for the salary and
benefits costs of EMTs, AEMTs, and paramedics to staff the rural ambulance service for
up to 168 hours per week at a rate that, for fiscal year 2024, must not exceed $26 per
employee per hour.
new text end

new text begin (b) The grant amount awarded to a rural ambulance service must not exceed the amount
needed for the costs in paragraph (a).
new text end

new text begin (c) For fiscal year 2025 and each subsequent fiscal year, the board shall adjust the hourly
rate in paragraph (a) for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers
for the previous calendar year.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Grant program oversight. new text end

new text begin Rural ambulance services receiving a grant under
this section must provide the board with information necessary for the board to administer
and evaluate the grant program.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; RURAL AMBULANCE SERVICE STAFFING GRANT
PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin $20,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $20,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated
from the general fund to the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board for the rural
ambulance service staffing grant program under Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.51.
new text end