SB182: Bill Text

SB182,1,4 An Act to create 38.04 (9m) and 39.378 of the statutes; relating to: emergency medical services education, tuition and materials reimbursement for emergency medical responders and emergency medical services practitioners, and a live 911 pilot program.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Emergency medical services education

This bill requires the Technical College System Board to provide grants to technical colleges that provide emergency medical services courses that train and prepare individuals for initial certification or initial licensure as an emergency medical responder or an emergency medical services practitioner. No grants may be awarded to a technical college for the emergency medical services courses if admission priority to the course is given to residents based on the technical college district in which the resident lives.

Tuition and materials costs for emergency medical responders and emergency medical services practitioners

The bill requires the Higher Educational Aids Board to develop a program to reimburse individuals or their employers for the cost of tuition and materials necessary for the individual to qualify for initial certification or initial licensure as an emergency medical responder or an emergency medical services practitioner. To be eligible for reimbursement for the costs necessary to qualify for an initial certification or license, the individual must satisfactorily complete any required course of instruction, pass any required examination, receive a certification or license from DHS, and apply to HEAB for reimbursement on a form prescribed by HEAB.

Live 911 pilot program

The bill directs the Department of Military Affairs, through a pilot program, to distribute moneys through grants to enable real-time video and multimedia communications between public safety answering points and individuals who call for emergency services. Further, the bill requires DMA to annually report to the legislature on the performance of the pilot program, including information on outcomes from the pilot program, the number of responses from dispatch that were altered due to increased information from the pilot program, and any cost savings associated with the pilot program. The bill does not require DMA to submit a report to the legislature in any year that DMA does not award any moneys through grants for the pilot program.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB182,1 Section 1. 38.04 (9m) of the statutes is created to read:

SB182,2,6 38.04 (9m) Emergency medical services education. (a) Subject to par. (b), the board shall provide grants to technical colleges that provide emergency medical services courses that train and prepare individuals for initial certification or initial licensure as an emergency medical responder, as defined in s. 256.01 (4p), or an emergency medical services practitioner, as defined in s. 256.01 (5).

SB182,2,11 (b) The board may not provide a grant under par. (a) to a technical college for use in any year in which, in regards to a emergency medical services course described in par. (a), the technical college’s district board or the technical college gives admission priority to residents based on the district in which the resident lives.

SB182,2 Section 2. 39.378 of the statutes is created to read:

SB182,3,6 39.378 Tuition and material costs for emergency medical services. (1) The board shall develop a program to reimburse the persons described under sub. (2) for the tuition and materials costs incurred in completing a course at a technical college in this state as necessary to qualify for initial licensure or initial certification.

SB182,3,7 (2) The following persons are eligible for reimbursement under this section:

SB182,3,10 (a) An individual who is applying for an initial license as an emergency medical services practitioner under s. 256.15 (6) (a) if the individual has personally paid the tuition or materials costs for the course.

SB182,3,13 (b) An individual who is applying for initial certification as an emergency medical responder under s. 256.15 (8) (b) if the individual has personally paid the tuition or materials costs for the course.

SB182,3,15 (c) The employer of an individual listed under par. (a) or (b) if the employer has paid for the applicant’s cost of tuition or materials for the course.

SB182,3,17 (3) To be eligible for reimbursement under this section, a person described under sub. (2) shall satisfy the following criteria:

SB182,3,18 (a) For individuals described under sub. (2) (a):

SB182,3,20 1. The individual has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction and training required under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 2.

SB182,3,22 2. The individual has passed any examination required under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 3.

SB182,4,2 3. The individual has met all additional qualifications for licensure as may be required by the department of health services under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 4.

SB182,4,4 4. The individual has received an initial license from the department of health services as an emergency medical services practitioner under s. 256.15 (6).

SB182,4,8 (b) For individuals described under sub. (2) (b), the individual has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction required under s. 256.15 (8) (b) 3. and has received certification as an emergency medical responder from the department of health services under s. 256.15 (8) (b).

SB182,4,11 (c) For employers who have paid for an individual’s costs of tuition or materials as described under sub. (2) (c), the individual satisfies the criteria under par. (a) or (b).

SB182,4,14 (4) To receive reimbursement under this section, persons described under sub. (2) who are eligible for reimbursement under sub. (3) shall apply to the board for reimbursement on a form prescribed by the board.

SB182,3 Section 3. Nonstatutory provisions.

SB182,4,16 (1) Live 911 pilot program.

SB182,4,20 (a) Grants. The department of military affairs may through a pilot program distribute moneys through grants to public safety answering points to enable real- time video and multimedia communications between public safety answering points and individuals who call for emergency services.

SB182,5,4 (b) Report. No later than October 15, 2027, the department of military affairs shall submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) on the performance of the pilot program under this subsection. The report shall include information on outcomes from the pilot program, the number of responses from dispatch that were altered due to increased information from the pilot program, and any cost savings associated with the pilot program.

SB182,5,5 (end)