1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; authorizing the emergency medical 
  1.3             services regulatory board to adopt rules to establish 
  1.4             a registration program for first responders; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 144.801, subdivision 
  1.6             11; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.7             Statutes, chapter 144. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 144.801, 
  1.10  subdivision 11, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 11.  [FIRST RESPONDER.] "First responder" means ~~an~~ 
  1.12  ~~individual~~ a person who is ~~certified~~ registered by the 
  1.13  ~~commissioner~~ board to perform, at a minimum, basic emergency 
  1.14  skills before the arrival of a licensed ambulance service, and 
  1.15  is: 
  1.16     (1) a member of an organized service recognized by a local 
  1.17  political subdivision whose primary responsibility is to respond 
  1.18  to medical emergencies to provide initial medical care before 
  1.19  the arrival of a licensed ambulance service; or 
  1.20     (2) a member of an organized industrial medical first 
  1.21  response team. 
  1.22     Sec. 2.  [144.8045] [FIRST RESPONDER REGISTRATION.] 
  1.23     Subdivision 1.  [RULEMAKING.] The board shall adopt rules 
  1.24  to establish a registration program for first responders.  
  1.25     Subd. 2.  [TRAINING PROGRAMS.] Until rules are adopted by 
  1.26  the board, curriculum for initial and refresher training 
  2.1   programs must meet the current standards of the United States 
  2.2   Department of Transportation First Responder curriculum or its 
  2.3   equivalent as determined by the board.  
  2.4      Subd. 3.  [REGISTRATION.] Until rules are adopted by the 
  2.5   board, the board shall register the following persons as first 
  2.6   responders: 
  2.7      (1) a person who successfully completes a board-approved 
  2.8   initial or refresher first responder training program.  
  2.9   Registration under this clause is valid for two years and 
  2.10  expires at the end of the month in which the registration was 
  2.11  issued; or 
  2.12     (2) a person who is credentialed as a first responder by 
  2.13  the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.  
  2.14  Registration under this clause expires the same day as the 
  2.15  National Registry credential.  
  2.16     Subd. 4.  [RENEWAL.] (a) Until rules are adopted by the 
  2.17  board, the board may renew the registration of a first responder 
  2.18  who: 
  2.19     (1) successfully completes a board-approved refresher 
  2.20  course; and 
  2.21     (2) submits a completed renewal application to the board 
  2.22  before the registration expiration date.  
  2.23     (b) Until rules are adopted by the board, the board may 
  2.24  renew the lapsed registration of a first responder who: 
  2.25     (1) successfully completes a board-approved refresher 
  2.26  course; and 
  2.27     (2) submits a completed renewal application to the board 
  2.28  within 12 months after the registration expiration date.  
  2.29     Subd. 5.  [EXPIRATION.] A first responder registration 
  2.30  issued by the board or the commissioner of health before August 
  2.31  1, 1997, expires in 1999 at the end of the month in which it was 
  2.32  issued.