ASSEMBLY, No. 5654

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MAY 12, 2021

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  ANGELICA M. JIMENEZ

District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)

Assemblywoman  VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman  ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Verrelli

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes COVID-19 Emergency Medical Services Assistance Grant Program in DOH; appropriates $2 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

An Act establishing the COVID-19 Emergency Medical Services Assistance Grant Program in the Department of Health and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    a.  There is hereby established in the Department of Health the COVID-19 Emergency Medical Services Assistance Grant Program.  The program shall award grants to emergency medical services providers who have suffered financial losses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

     b.    The Commissioner of Health shall develop an application by which an emergency medical services provider may apply for a grant for funding, and criteria by which to rank applications received by the department.  The grant amount shall be based on the population of the area served by the emergency medical service provider.  Emergency medical service providers that serve a larger population shall receive more funds than emergency medical service providers that serve a smaller population.  The commissioner shall provide notice of the availability of funding for this program and make the application available on the department's Internet website.  Upon receipt of an application, the commissioner shall review the application and, subject to the availability of funds, award a grant to each approved grant applicant. 

     c.     A grant awarded pursuant to this section shall be in an amount not to exceed $50,000.

     d.    As used in this section:

     "Emergency medical services provider" means any non-profit association, organization, company, department, agency, service, program, unit, or other entity that provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients in this State, including, but not limited to, a basic life support ambulance service, a mobile intensive care unit, an air medical service, or a volunteer or non-volunteer first aid, rescue, and ambulance squad.

     2.    There is appropriated $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health to fulfill the provisions of this act.

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the distribution of the moneys appropriated by this act.

STATEMENT

     This bill establishes a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Emergency Medical Services Assistance Grant Program in the Department of Health (department) and appropriates $2,000,000

from the General Fund to fulfill the bill’s provisions.

     The program is to award grants to emergency medical services providers who have suffered financial losses during the COVID-19 outbreak.  The Commissioner of Health (commissioner) is to develop an application by which an emergency medical services provider may apply for a grant for funding, and criteria by which to rank applications received by the department.  The grant amount is to be based on the population of the area served by the emergency medical service provider.  Emergency medical service providers that serve a larger population are to receive more funds than emergency medical service providers that serve a smaller population.  The commissioner is to provide notice of the availability of funding for this program and make the application available on the department's Internet website.  Upon receipt of an application, the commissioner is to review the application and, subject to the availability of funds, award a grant to each approved grant applicant. 

     The bill provides that a grant awarded pursuant to the bill’s provisions is to be in an amount not to exceed $50,000.  The bill defines "emergency medical services provider" to mean any non-profit association, organization, company, department, agency, service, program, unit, or other entity that provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients in this State, including, but not limited to, a basic life support ambulance service, a mobile intensive care unit, an air medical service, or a volunteer or non-volunteer first aid, rescue, and ambulance squad.