[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6433 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6433

           To preserve access to emergency medical services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2023

Ms. Perez (for herself and Mr. Finstad) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
           To preserve access to emergency medical services.

    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 ``Preserve Access to Rapid Ambulance 
Emergency Medical Treatment Act of 2023'' or the ``PARA-EMT Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (in this 
        section referred to as ``EMTs'') provide care to ill or injured 
        people in emergency medical settings and are a vital component 
        of the Nation's Emergency Medical Services (in this section 
        referred to as ``EMS'') system.
            (2) EMTs provide basic emergency medical care and 
        transportation for patients while paramedics provide advanced 
        emergency medical care such as intubation, oral and intravenous 
        drug administration, and other procedures.
            (3) The United States EMS system is facing a crippling 
        workforce shortage, a long-term problem that has been building 
        for more than a decade.
            (4) In 2019, the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration reported that by 2030, there would be a need for 
        an additional 42,000 EMTs and Paramedics to meet the nation's 
        demand for healthcare services.
            (5) The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this 
        workforce shortage, with ambulance crews suffering the effects 
        of surging demand, burnout, fear of illness and stress on their 
        families.
            (6) A 2021 survey of nearly 20,000 employees working at 258 
        EMS organizations found that overall turnover among paramedics 
        and EMTs ranges from 20 to 30 percent annually.
            (7) With COVID-19 halting clinical and in-person trainings 
        for a significant period of time, the pipeline of new EMS staff 
        has been stretched even thinner.

SEC. 3. EMS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE PILOT PROGRAM.

    Title XII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 1204 the following:

``SEC. 1205. EMS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE PILOT 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Preparedness and Response, shall establish a pilot 
program to award grants to eligible emergency medical services agencies 
to support the recruitment and training of emergency medical 
technicians and paramedics to improve access to, and enhance the 
quality of, emergency medical services.
    ``(b) Application.--An eligible emergency medical services agency 
seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible emergency medical services agency 
receiving a grant under this section shall use funds received through 
the grant to implement a new program or enhance an existing program 
to--
            ``(1) recruit and retain emergency medical services 
        personnel, which may include volunteer personnel;
            ``(2) train emergency medical services personnel to obtain 
        and maintain licenses and certifications relevant to service in 
        an emergency medical services agency;
            ``(3) conduct courses and implement apprenticeship programs 
        that qualify graduates to serve in an emergency medical 
        services agency 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 medical 
        services personnel through the use of technology-enhanced 
        educational methods;
            ``(6) establish wellness and fitness programs for emergency 
        medical services personnel to ensure that such personnel are 
        able to carry out their duties, including programs dedicated to 
        raising awareness of, and prevention of, job-related mental 
        health issues; or
            ``(7) train emergency medical services personnel to care 
        for people with mental and substance use disorders in emergency 
        situations.
    ``(d) Prioritization.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall prioritize eligible emergency medical services agencies 
that--
            ``(1) seek to promote diversity and ensure equal 
        opportunity for participation in the emergency medical services 
        workforce;
            ``(2) emphasize the recruitment and training of youth, 
        particularly high school students, rural youth, and youth from 
        low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds;
            ``(3) develop and implement programs to assist veterans who 
        completed military emergency medical technician training while 
        serving in the Armed Forces of the United States to meet 
        certification, licensure, and other requirements applicable to 
        becoming an emergency medical technician or paramedic;
            ``(4) are small or are located in rural areas and serve 
        rural populations; or
            ``(5) address such other priorities as the Secretary 
        considers appropriate.
    ``(e) Allocation of Grants to Rural Emergency Medical Services 
Agencies.--The Secretary shall ensure that not less than 20 percent of 
the total number of grants under this section are made to emergency 
medical services agencies located in rural areas.
    ``(f) Maximum Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant made under this 
section to a single grant recipient shall not exceed $1,000,000.
    ``(g) Reports.--
            ``(1) Report to secretary.--An eligible emergency medical 
        services agency receiving a grant under subsection (a) shall 
        periodically submit to the Secretary a report evaluating the 
        activities supported by the grant.
            ``(2) Report to public.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate, and make publicly available, a 
        report on the Secretary's findings with respect to the success 
        of the program under this section in improving access to, and 
        enhancing the quality of, emergency medical services.
    ``(h) Definition.--In this section, the term `eligible emergency 
medical services agency' means an entity that is--
            ``(1) licensed to deliver medical care outside of a medical 
        facility under emergency conditions that occur as a result of 
        the condition of the patient; and
            ``(2) delivers services (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).
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there are 
        authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2024 through 2028.
            ``(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.''.

SEC. 4. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRAINING TO 
              MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING CIVILIAN EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
              TECHNICIANS AND PARAMEDICS.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 320B the following:

``SEC. 320C. ASSISTING VETERANS WITH MILITARY EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
              TRAINING TO MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING CIVILIAN 
              EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS AND PARAMEDICS.

    ``(a) Program.--The Secretary shall establish a demonstration 
program under which the Secretary will award grants to States to 
streamline State requirements and procedures in order to assist 
veterans who have completed military emergency medical technician 
training while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States meet 
the certification, licensure, and other requirements applicable to 
becoming an emergency medical technician or paramedic in the State.
    ``(b) Uses of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this section 
shall use amounts received through the grant to prepare and implement a 
plan to streamline State requirements and procedures as described in 
subsection (a), including by--
            ``(1) determining the extent to which the requirements for 
        the education, training, and skill level of emergency medical 
        technicians in the State are equivalent to requirements for the 
        education, training, and skill level of military emergency 
        medical technicians; and
            ``(2) identifying methods, such as waivers, for military 
        emergency medical technicians to forego or meet any such 
        equivalent State requirements.
    ``(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, 
a State shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the 
State has a shortage of emergency medical technicians.
    ``(d) Report.--Beginning on the date that is one year after the 
date on which the first grant is awarded under this section, and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an 
report on the success of the program under this section in assisting 
military emergency medical technicians to receive certification or 
licensure as an emergency medical technician or paramedic in a State.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028.''.

SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN AND PARAMEDIC 
              WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall conduct a study on--
            (1) the number of currently available emergency medical 
        technician and paramedic jobs, categorized by type of employer 
        (such as ambulance services, local governments other than 
        hospitals, and hospitals);
            (2) the projected increase in available emergency medical 
        technician and paramedic jobs from 2023 through 2032, 
        categorized by type of employer;
            (3) the percentage of available emergency medical 
        technician and paramedic jobs from 2023 through 2032 that are 
        expected to result from the need to replace workers who 
        transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force;
            (4) the availability of appropriate training and education 
        programs in the United States sufficient to meet the projected 
        demand for emergency medical technician and paramedic jobs from 
        2023 through 2032; and
            (5) the projected shortage of emergency medical technicians 
        and paramedics from 2023 through 2032.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to Congress a 
report on the study conducted under subsection (a) together with such 
recommendations that the Secretaries determine are appropriate to 
address the projected shortage of emergency medical technicians and 
paramedics, including whether Schedule A should be expanded to include 
these occupations.
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