AB 2456 - EMS
On February 19, 2010, Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (D - Fremont) introduced AB 2456 relating to emergency medical services.
This bill clarifies existing law with respect to the EMS Authority's current ability to establish guidelines that direct local EMS agencies and other essential EMS stakeholders in their operations for the coordinated delivery of Emergency Medical Services in this state.
All too often, EMS personnel are required to fulfill certain tasks in their quest to attain or maintain their certification or licensures status in a given county.
Such requirements can often differ by county - mandating that EMS personnel who operate in multiple counties perform additional, varied or sometimes disparate activities, in order to serve as an EMS provider in the more than one county. San Bernardino and Kern counties are but two in which personnel provide multi-county EMS services.
In order to streamline this incongruent process, policies need to be driven by research and consensus rather than the personality of local administrators and doctors and applied broadly across the EMS delivery system. Said policies should also support the statewide mutual aid process by providing a minimum level of service delivery as defined by the EMS 
community.
AB 2456 was referred to the Assembly Health Committee, where it passed with a 17-2 vote on April 13, 2010. This bill was then referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee where it was at first placed on suspense, but then later removed after amendments were taken, and passed out of committee with a 12-5 vote. The amendments taken on April 22nd, 2010, make clear the ability of the EMSA to charge fees to cover their regulatory costs. It then went to the Assembly Floor.
This bill was approved by the Assembly floor on June 2nd, with a 53-19 vote and was sent to the Senate. On June 30th, AB 2456 was approved by the Senate Health Committee with a 5-3 vote. The bill then went to the Senate Appropriations Committee where it was briefly placed on suspense before being approved 7-4.The bill then went to the Senate Floor where is passed with a 22-12 vote August 25. It was then quickly returned to the Assembly to approved Senate Amendments. This bill was vetoed by the Governor on September 29, 2010.
For more information contact CPF Legislative Director Amy Howard.
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