[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 329 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 329

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States for 
 the creation or enhancement of systems for the air transport of rural 
        victims of medical emergencies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

 Mr. Roberts introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States for 
 the creation or enhancement of systems for the air transport of rural 
        victims of medical emergencies, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Medical Emergencies Air 
Transport Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES REGARDING AIRCRAFT FOR TRANSPORTING RURAL 
              VICTIMS OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES.

    Title XII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new part:

        ``Part D--Miscellaneous Grant Programs and Requirements

``SEC. 1241. GRANTS FOR SYSTEMS TO TRANSPORT RURAL VICTIMS OF MEDICAL 
              EMERGENCIES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall make grants to States to 
assist such States in the creation or enhancement of air medical 
transport systems that provide victims of medical emergencies in rural 
areas with access to treatments for the injuries or other conditions 
resulting from such emergencies.
    ``(b) Application and Plan.--
            ``(1) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        subsection (a), a State shall prepare and submit to the 
        Secretary an application in such form, made in such manner, and 
        containing such agreements, assurances, and information, 
        including a State plan as required in paragraph (2), as the 
        Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this section.
            ``(2) State plan.--An application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall contain a State plan that shall--
                    ``(A) describe the intended uses of the grant 
                proceeds and the geographic areas to be served;
                    ``(B) demonstrates that the geographic areas to be 
                served, as described under subparagraph (A), are rural 
                in nature;
                    ``(C) demonstrate that there is a lack of 
                facilities available and equipped to deliver advanced 
                levels of medical care in the geographic areas to be 
                served;
                    ``(D) demonstrate that in utilizing the grant 
                proceeds for the establishment or enhancement of air 
                medical services the State would be making a cost-
                effective improvement to existing ground-based or air 
                emergency medical service systems;
                    ``(E) demonstrate that the State will not utilize 
                the grant proceeds to duplicate the capabilities of 
                existing air medical systems that are effectively 
                meeting the emergency medical needs of the populations 
                they serve;
                    ``(F) demonstrate that in utilizing the grant 
                proceeds the State is likely to achieve a reduction in 
                the morbidity and mortality rates of the areas to be 
                served, as determined by the Secretary;
                    ``(G) demonstrate that the State, in utilizing the 
                grant proceeds, will--
                            ``(i) maintain the expenditures of the 
                        State for air and ground medical transport 
                        systems at a level equal to not less than the 
                        level of such expenditures maintained by the 
                        State for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal 
                        year for which the grant is received; and
                            ``(ii) ensure that recipients of direct 
                        financial assistance from the State under such 
                        grant will maintain expenditures of such 
                        recipients for such systems at a level at least 
                        equal to the level of such expenditures 
                        maintained by such recipients for the fiscal 
                        year preceding the fiscal year for which the 
                        financial assistance is received;
                    ``(H) demonstrate that persons experienced in the 
                field of air medical service delivery were consulted in 
                the preparation of the State plan;
                    ``(I) contain such other information as the 
                Secretary may determine appropriate.
    ``(c) Considerations in Awarding Grants.--In determining whether to 
award a grant to a State under this section, the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) consider the rural nature of the areas to be served 
        with the grant proceeds and the services to be provided with 
        such proceeds, as identified in the State plan submitted under 
        subsection (b); and
            ``(2) give preference to States with State plans that 
        demonstrate an effective integration of the proposed air 
        medical transport systems into a comprehensive network or plan 
        for regional or statewide emergency medical service delivery.
    ``(d) State Administration and Use of Grant.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not make a grant to a 
        State under subsection (a) unless the State agrees that such 
        grant will be administered by the State agency with principal 
        responsibility for carrying out programs regarding the 
        provision of medical services to victims of medical emergencies 
        or trauma.
            ``(2) Permitted uses.--A State may use amounts received 
        under a grant awarded under this section to award subgrants to 
        public and private entities operating within the State.
            ``(3) Opportunity for public comment.--The Secretary may 
        not make a grant to a State under subsection (a) unless that 
        State agrees that, in developing and carrying out the State 
        plan under subsection (b)(2), the State will provide public 
        notice with respect to the plan (including any revisions 
        thereto) and facilitate comments from interested persons.
    ``(e) Number of Grants.--The Secretary shall award grants under 
this section to not less than 7 States.
    ``(f) Reports.--
            ``(1) Requirement.--A State that receives a grant under 
        this section shall annually (during each year in which the 
        grant proceeds are used) prepare and submit to the Secretary a 
        report that shall contain--
                    ``(A) a description of the manner in which the 
                grant proceeds were utilized;
                    ``(B) a description of the effectiveness of the air 
                medical transport programs assisted with grant 
                proceeds; and
                    ``(C) such other information as the Secretary may 
                require.
            ``(2) Termination of funding.--In reviewing reports 
        submitted under paragraph (1), if the Secretary determines that 
        a State is not using amounts provided under a grant awarded 
        under this section in accordance with the State plan submitted 
        by the State under subsection (b), the Secretary may terminate 
        the payment of amounts under such grant to the State until such 
        time as the Secretary determines that the State comes into 
        compliance with such plan.
    ``(g) Definition.--As used in this section, the term `rural areas' 
means geographic areas that are located outside of standard 
metropolitan statistical areas, as identified by the Secretary.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to make grants under this section, $15,000,000 for fiscal 
year 1994, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
years 1995 and 1996.

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