A476 1R

An Act concerning EMTs¹[,] and¹ supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes¹[, and making an appropriation]¹.

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

1. As used in this act:

“Department” means the Department of Health.

“Emergency medical technician” means a person trained in basic life support care and validly certified or recognized by the Commissioner of Health in accordance with the standards for emergency medical technician certification as set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:40A.

2. a. The Commissioner of Health, in coordination with the Commissioner of Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, and hospitals licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) ¹and subject to the availability of funds¹, shall establish the EMT Workforce Development Partnership, through which students in secondary schools and institutions of higher education, and residents of the communities served by the institutions of higher education, may enroll in a training course, as approved by the Department of Health, that will lead to certification as an emergency medical technician.

b. A licensed hospital, agency, organization, or entity that has been certified by the department as an emergency medical technician training agency, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:40A-3.1, shall conduct the training and administer the standardized examination required by the department for certification as an emergency medical technician. In the case of a course for students enrolled in secondary school, the training class shall be taught during the school day.

c. (1) In order to enroll in a training course offered through the EMT Workforce Development Partnership, a minor student shall be at least 16 years of age by the first training class, and shall meet the conditions established under N.J.A.C. 8:40A-5.2.

(2) The department shall provide provisional certification as an emergency medical technician to a minor who has successfully completed the requisite training course and has attained a passing score on the standardized examination for emergency medical technicians, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 8:40A-7.4.

d. A hospital, agency, organization, or entity that has been certified by the department as an emergency medical technician training agency, a secondary school, or an institution of higher education that participates in the EMT Workforce Development Partnership shall not assess a fee for the cost of the emergency medical technician training course or the standardized certification exam for a student of a participating secondary school or institution of higher education, or a resident of a community served by a participating institution of higher education, provided the student or resident:

(1) successfully completes the training course;

(2) attains a passing score on the standardized exam required by the department for certification as an emergency medical technician; and

(3) serves, for a period of no less than two years, as either a paid or a volunteer emergency medical technician with a first aid, ambulance, or rescue squad located in the municipality or county in which the student’s or resident’s primary residence is located.

e. The Commissioner of Health shall establish a process by which a student of a participating secondary school or institution of higher education, or a resident of a community served by a participating institution of higher education, who does not fulfill the provisions of subsection d. of section 2 of this act, shall reimburse the emergency medical technician training agency for the cost of the emergency medical technician training course or the standardized certification exam, or both.

3. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education and the Secretary of Higher Education ¹and subject to the availability of funds¹, shall develop and implement an emergency medical technician recruitment campaign to inform licensed hospitals, agencies, organizations, or entities that are certified by the Department of Health as an emergency medical technician training agency, secondary school educators, institutions of higher education, and the public about the important role that emergency medical technicians play in their communities, and about the benefits of participating in the EMT Workforce Development Partnership.

4. The Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Education, and the Secretary of Higher Education, shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

¹[5. There is appropriated $1,500,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health to implement the provisions of this act.]¹

¹[6.] 5.¹ This act shall take effect immediately.