I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1762
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States for
the creation or enhancement of systems for the air transport of rural
victims of medical emergencies, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 21, 1993
Mr. ROBERTS (for himself, Mrs. VUCANOVICH, Mr. SLATTERY, Mr. LAN-
CASTER, Mr. BEREUTER, and Mr. GUNDERSON) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants
to States for the creation or enhancement of systems
for the air transport of rural victims of medical emer-
gencies, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Medical Emer-
gencies Air Transport Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES REGARDING AIRCRAFT FOR
TRANSPORTING RURAL VICTIMS OF MEDICAL
EMERGENCIES.
Title XII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300d et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof
the following new part:
‘‘PART D—MISCELLANEOUS GRANT PROGRAMS AND
REQUIREMENTS
‘‘SEC. 1241. GRANTS FOR SYSTEMS TO TRANSPORT RURAL
VICTIMS OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants
to States to assist such States in the creation or enhance-
ment of air medical transport systems that provide victims
of medical emergencies in rural areas with access to treat-
ments for the injuries or other conditions resulting from
such emergencies.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION AND PLAN.—
‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a
grant under subsection (a), a State shall prepare
and submit to the Secretary an application in such
form, made in such manner, and containing such
agreements, assurances, and information, including
a State plan as required in paragraph (2), as the
Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out
this section.
‘‘(2) STATE PLAN.—An application submitted
under paragraph (1) shall contain a State plan that
shall—
‘‘(A) describe the intended uses of the
grant proceeds and the geographic areas to be
served;
‘‘(B) demonstrates that the geographic
areas to be served, as described under subpara-
graph (A), are rural in nature;
‘‘(C) demonstrate that there is a lack of
facilities available and equipped to deliver ad-
vanced levels of medical care in the geographic
areas to be served;
‘‘(D) demonstrate that in utilizing the
grant proceeds for the establishment or en-
hancement of air medical services the State
would be making a cost-effective improvement
to existing ground-based or air emergency medi-
cal service systems;
‘‘(E) demonstrate that the State will not
utilize the grant proceeds to duplicate the capa-
bilities of existing air medical systems that are
effectively meeting the emergency medical needs
of the populations they serve;
‘‘(F) demonstrate that in utilizing the
grant proceeds the State is likely to achieve a
reduction in the morbidity and mortality rates
of the areas to be served, as determined by the
Secretary;
‘‘(G) demonstrate that the State, in utiliz-
ing the grant proceeds, will—
‘‘(i) maintain the expenditures of the
State for air and ground medical transport
systems at a level equal to not less than
the level of such expenditures maintained
by the State for the fiscal year preceding
the fiscal year for which the grant is re-
ceived; and
‘‘(ii) ensure that recipients of direct
financial assistance from the State under
such grant will maintain expenditures of
such recipients for such systems at a level
at least equal to the level of such expendi-
tures maintained by such recipients for the
fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for
which the financial assistance is received;
‘‘(H) demonstrate that persons experienced
in the field of air medical service delivery were
consulted in the preparation of the State plan;
‘‘(I) contain such other information as the
Secretary may determine appropriate.
‘‘(c) CONSIDERATIONS IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In
determining whether to award a grant to a State under
this section, the Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) consider the rural nature of the areas to
be served with the grant proceeds and the services
to be provided with such proceeds, as identified in
the State plan submitted under subsection (b); and
‘‘(2) give preference to States with State plans
that demonstrate an effective integration of the pro-
posed air medical transport systems into a com-
prehensive network or plan for regional or statewide
emergency medical service delivery.
‘‘(d) 
STATE
ADMINISTRATION
AND
USE
OF
GRANT.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may not
make a grant to a State under subsection (a) unless
the State agrees that such grant will be adminis-
tered by the State agency with principal responsibil-
ity for carrying out programs regarding the provi-
sion of medical services to victims of medical emer-
gencies or trauma.
‘‘(2) PERMITTED
USES.—A State may use
amounts received under a grant awarded under this
section to award subgrants to public and private en-
tities operating within the State.
‘‘(3) OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.—
The Secretary may not make a grant to a State
under subsection (a) unless that State agrees that,
in developing and carrying out the State plan under
subsection (b)(2), the State will provide public notice
with respect to the plan (including any revisions
thereto) and facilitate comments from interested
persons.
‘‘(e) NUMBER
OF GRANTS.—The Secretary shall
award grants under this section to not less than 7 States.
‘‘(f) REPORTS.—
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—A State that receives a
grant under this section shall annually (during each
year in which the grant proceeds are used) prepare
and submit to the Secretary a report that shall con-
tain—
‘‘(A) a description of the manner in which
the grant proceeds were utilized;
‘‘(B) a description of the effectiveness of
the air medical transport programs assisted
with grant proceeds; and
‘‘(C) such other information as the Sec-
retary may require.
‘‘(2) TERMINATION OF FUNDING.—In reviewing
reports submitted under paragraph (1), if the Sec-
retary determines that a State is not using amounts
provided under a grant awarded under this section
in accordance with the State plan submitted by the
State under subsection (b), the Secretary may termi-
nate the payment of amounts under such grant to
the State until such time as the Secretary deter-
mines that the State comes into compliance with
such plan.
‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term
‘rural areas’ means geographic areas that are located out-
side of standard metropolitan statistical areas, as identi-
fied by the Secretary.
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to make grants under
this section, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and such
sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1995
and 1996.
Æ