CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 185

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 1281

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a three-year transfer of certain duties, functions, and powers relating to emergency medical services for the City and County of Honolulu from the Department of Health to the City and County of Honolulu, beginning July 1, 2021;

(2) Require individuals acting as dispatchers in the State to obtain emergency medical dispatch certification by July 1, 2026, and maintain certification thereafter;

(3) Clarify the Department of Health's requirements related to the statewide emergency aeromedical program;

(4) Authorize an annual distribution of $3,500,000 from the Emergency Medical Services Special Fund to any county operating a county emergency medical services system, beginning with fiscal year 2021-2022;

(5) Appropriate general funds to the City and County of Honolulu for emergency medical services for fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023;

(6) Appropriate monies from the Emergency Medical Services Special Fund to the City and County of Honolulu for fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023; and

(7) Phase out funding from general revenues for emergency medical services in the City and County of Honolulu before July 1, 2024.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the general fund appropriation;

(2) Inserting an appropriation of $84,257,043 for fiscal year 2021-2022 and $46,990,131 for fiscal year 2022-2023 from funds received by the State from the American Rescue Plan Act, Public Law 117-2 (Section 9901), to the Department of Health for the operation of the statewide emergency medical services and injury prevention system; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1281, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Chair	____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE Co-Chair
____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ Co-Chair	____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE Co-Chair
____________________________ KARL RHOADS Co-Chair