SCS/HB 1432 - This act provides that any fire protection or emergency services district that provides emergency services to a redevelopment area shall be entitled to reimbursement from the special allocation fund in an amount of between 50% and 100% of the district's tax increment. Currently, the district must provide evidence to the municipality that any costs incurred by the district are directly attributable to the operation of the redevelopment project. Current law also provides that the district must demonstrate that the increased revenues the district receives from the project are insufficient to cover their costs to provide such services. This act removes both of these current requirements.

This act also provides new definitions regarding emergency communications. Counties may establish an emergency communications commission composed of seven members. Such counties may levy an additional property tax or sales tax, upon voter approval in order to operate the system. All moneys collected must be deposited in the Emergency Communications System Fund. Obligations by the county may be paid out of the fund or by the issuance of bonds.

This act modifies funding for fire protection. The Fire Safety Fund is created and will consist of any monies remaining in the Fire Education Fund. The fund will be invested by the state treasurer in a manner provided by law. The Fire Safety Fund will receive annual transfers of .5% of the amount of premium taxes collected. The Fire Safety Fund will be divided such that 40% of the money will go to the fire department grants fund and 20% of the money will be spent on fire education programs. The remaining funds will be used at the discretion of the Missouri Fire Safety Commission and will be used to fund the five fire consultants. No more than 5% of the fund may be used for administrative purposes.

The Fire Safety Commission is created. The members will include the State Fire Marshall, the State Forester and five members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent to the Senate. No more than half of the members shall be from a single political party and no more than one member shall be from a single Congressional district. A maximum of five FTE fire consultants will be employed by the Division of Fire Safety and work in regions across the state as determined by the Commission. The fire consultants will work with local fire departments to improve fire protection. Funding for the fire consultants will come from the Fire Safety Fund.

The Fire Safety Grants Fund is established and will consist of 40% of the transfers made to the Fire Safety Fund. Grants may be made from this account to fund requests for fire departments, associations or districts serving an area with a population of less than 10,000. The Fire Safety Commission shall administer the grant program and is authorized to promulgate rules to implement the grant program.

This act revises the requirements to be a candidate for Ambulance District Director (Section 190.050). Procedures for changes in the number of directors in a district and the recall of directors are created(Sections 190.051 to 190.054). Any person or entity that owns an automated external defibrillator used outside of a health care facility must have a physician review all protocols (Section 190.092). The definition of "first responder" is deleted (Section 190.092).

The State Advisory Council on Emergency Medical Service should seek to have representation from air ambulance services and at least one member of each regional EMS committee must be associated with an air ambulance service.

With certain exceptions, each ground ambulance must be staffed by two licensed emergency medical technicians(Section 190.105). Owners of a ground or air ambulance service must notify the Department of Health and Senior Services within 30 days of the sale of the service and the Department shall conduct an inspection of the service to ensure compliance with licensure standards (Sections 190.105 and 190.108). After June 1, 2003, no air ambulance provider shall be eligible for medicaid reimbursement or receive a new air ambulance license unless it demonstrates to the Department that it is accredited or applied for accreditation from a nationally recognized aeromedical transport accrediting association that was selected by the Department (Section 190.108). Application requirements for an ambulance license are revised (Sections 190.109 and 190.120). Air ambulance providers must carry a minimum of $20 million in general liability insurance that includes coverage for damage to buildings caused by an aircraft (Section 190.120). Air ambulance aircraft and personnel must comply with all requirements to provide advanced life support level of care (Section 190.122).

The act provides that all levels of emergency medical technician may provide pre-hospital emergency patient care and continued emergency care in a health facility (Section 190.142). Provided the person meets other current requirements for a temporary license, a person not currently licensed as an emergency medical technician in Missouri may be issued a 90-day temporary license (Section 190.143). Additional causes for discipline of an ambulance license are created. Any individual whose license has been revoked twice in ten years shall not be eligible for a new license (Section 190.165).

Any settlement agreement in a contested case against a licensee must be submitted to the administrative hearing commission for its approval. Any person directly harmed by the actions of a licensee may submit an impact statement to the Commission (Section 190.172).

A patient care document must be given to ambulance personnel by a health care facility for any transfer of the patient to a different facility (Section 190.175).

Requirements regarding the reporting of certain felonies by licensees to the Department are created (Section 190.196).

The act creates procedures for the issuance and discipline of a new license category for stretcher van services to transport persons in a supine position who do not require medical monitoring or treatment other than self-administered oxygen (Sections 190.525 to 190.537). Any person who violates the provisions of Sections 190.525 to 190.527 shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor (Section 190.534).

This act allows the governing body of an ambulance or a fire protection district, except for those in counties of the first class with over 200,000 inhabitants, to impose an up to one-half of one percent sales tax on all retail sales within the district following voters' approval.

The Department of Revenue will collect and distribute the revenue from the district sales tax monthly at the cost of one percent the total revenue collected. After collecting and distributing the sales tax, the board of the ambulance or fire protection district will determine its budget for the year and determine the amount of property tax necessary to fund the district. The district may then reduce the tax rate by an amount which reduces the property tax revenue by an amount equal to fifty percent of the previous fiscal year's sales tax receipts.

When the governing body of the ambulance or fire protection district receives a petition signed by at least twenty percent of the qualified voters that voted in the last gubernatorial election, calling for an election to repeal the sales tax, the governing body will submit the question to the voters.

Section 190.044, RSMo, has been deleted. This section relieved a taxpayer of the obligation to pay property taxes for ground ambulance service to both an ambulance district and a fire protection district unless certain conditions were met.

This act revises the qualifications of candidates for fire protection district directors in third and fourth class counties. A candidate must reside in the district for two years before the election or appointment. Currently, the candidate must reside in the county in which the district is located for two years.

A candidate for director in a newly formed district must reside in the district for one year before the election or appointment.

Portions of this act are similar to SBs 795, 1138 and 993 (2002).
JIM ERTLE