On February 18, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in opposition to SB 159 – Emergency Medical Services – Vehicles and Ambulances – Required Supplies, Reviews, and Complaints.
While the bill aims to strengthen Emergency Medical Service (EMS) performance and accountability statewide, it mandates broad, duplicative, and burdensome administrative and reporting requirements on local EMS systems.
As drafted, local EMS systems — already navigating staffing shortages and operational pressures — would be required to divert time and personnel from frontline response to meet ongoing compliance mandates, creating unintended consequences for service delivery.
Counties share the goal of high-quality EMS care and already work every day to monitor performance, address complaints, and improve service delivery. However, SB 159 adds recurring compliance obligations that will require significant staff time and ongoing administrative work, without providing corresponding resources.
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