Title: Emergency Medical Service Providers Protection Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Emergency Medical Service Providers Protection Act
This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the requirements for a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew to qualify as a public safety officer for purposes of death benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program.
Specifically, it removes the requirement that an individual member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew be part of a public agency or nonprofit entity that actually engages in rescue activity or provides emergency medical services to qualify as public safety officers. Instead, the bill requires an individual member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew be part of a public agency or nonprofit entity that is officially designated as a pre-hospital emergency medical response agency.
The bill permanently rescinds specified unobligated amounts in the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5971 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5971

   To include nonprofit and volunteer ground and air ambulance crew 
           members and first responders for certain benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2018

  Mr. Zeldin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To include nonprofit and volunteer ground and air ambulance crew 
           members and first responders for certain benefits.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Medical Service Providers 
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY.

    Section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (7)(B)(ii), by striking ``engages in 
        rescue activities or provides emergency medical services as 
        part of an official emergency response system;'' and inserting 
        ``is officially designated as a pre-hospital emergency medical 
        response agency;''; and
            (2) in paragraph (9), by inserting after ``and by the 
        applicable agency or entity'' the following: ``(and as 
        designated by such agency or entity)''.

SEC. 3. OFFSET.

    Of the unobligated balances available under the Department of 
Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund, $12,000,000 are permanently cancelled.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by section 2 shall apply only to injuries 
sustained on or after March 1, 2007, and shall take effect beginning on 
the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Any 
person who had made an application under part L of title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and whose 
application was denied by reason of the date an injury was sustained 
may reapply.

SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 1086(d)(2)(A) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112-239) is amended by striking ``June 1, 
2009'' and inserting ``March 25, 2007''.
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