[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5429 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5429

   To reauthorize the rural emergency medical services training and 
 equipment assistance program under section 330J of the Public Health 
                              Service Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 2018

Mr. Gianforte (for himself, Mr. Loebsack, and Mr. Duffy) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To reauthorize the rural emergency medical services training and 
 equipment assistance program under section 330J of the Public Health 
                              Service Act.

    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 ``Supporting and Improving Rural EMS 
Needs Act of 2018'' or the ``SIREN Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF RURAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TRAINING 
              AND EQUIPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 330J of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-15) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``in rural areas'' and 
        inserting ``in rural areas or to residents of rural areas''; 
        and
            (2) by striking subsections (b) through (g) and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive grant under this 
section, an entity shall be--
            ``(1) an emergency medical services agency operated by a 
        local or tribal government (including fire-based and non-fire 
        based); or
            ``(2) an emergency medical services agency that is 
        described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
        1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An entity shall use amounts received through a 
grant under subsection (a) to--
            ``(1) recruit emergency medical services personnel;
            ``(2) train emergency medical services personnel as 
        appropriate to maintain licenses and certifications relevant to 
        service in an emergency medical services agency described in 
        subsection (b);
            ``(3) conduct courses that qualify graduates to serve in an 
        emergency medical services agency described in subsection (b) 
        in accordance with State and local requirements;
            ``(4) fund specific training to meet Federal or State 
        licensing or certification requirements;
            ``(5) develop new ways to educate emergency health care 
        providers through the use of technology-enhanced educational 
        methods;
            ``(6) acquire emergency medical services equipment; and
            ``(7) acquire personal protective equipment for emergency 
        medical services personnel as required by the Occupational 
        Safety and Health Administration.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `emergency medical services'--
                    ``(A) means resources used by a public or private 
                nonprofit licensed entity to deliver medical care 
                outside of a medical facility under emergency 
                conditions that occur as a result of the condition of 
                the patient; and
                    ``(B) includes services delivered (either on a 
                compensated or volunteer basis) by an emergency medical 
                services provider or other provider that is licensed or 
                certified by the State involved as an emergency medical 
                technician, a paramedic, or an equivalent professional 
                (as determined by the State).
            ``(2) The term `rural area' means--
                    ``(A) a nonmetropolitan statistical area;
                    ``(B) an area designated as a rural area by any law 
                or regulation of a State; or
                    ``(C) a rural census tract of a metropolitan 
                statistical area (as determined under the most recent 
                Goldsmith Modification, originally published in a 
                notice of availability of funds in the Federal Register 
                on February 27, 1992, 57 Fed. Reg. 6725).
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each fiscal years 
        2018 through 2022.
            ``(2) Administrative costs.--The Secretary may use not more 
        than 10 percent of the amount appropriated pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year for the administrative expenses 
        of carrying out this section.''.
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