An Act To Eliminate the 6 Regional Emergency Medical Services Councils and To Transfer Authority and Funding to the Technical Colleges in Each Region
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0949
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: BLANCHETTE, CARPENTER, BULL, CLARK, DUPLESSIE, GERZOFSKY, LESSARD, TRAHAN, DAMON
Amends: 32 MRSA §83, 32 MRSA §84, 32 MRSA §84-A, 32 MRSA §87-A, 32 MRSA §88

Legislative Document 
No. 949 
H.P.706 
House of Representatives, February 25, 2003 
An Act To Eliminate the 6 Regional Emergency Medical Services 
Councils and To Transfer Authority and Funding to the Technical 
Colleges in Each Region 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative BLANCHETTE of Bangor. 
Cosponsored by Senator CARPENTER of York and 
17l~ 
/J7.7l/dC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BULL of Freeport, CLARK of Millinocket, DUPLESSIE of Westbrook, 
GERZOFSKY of Brunswick, LESSARD of Topsham, McLAUGHLIN of Cape Elizabeth, 
TRAHAN of Waldoboro, Senator: DAMON of Hancock. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §83, sub-§20, as amended by PL 1985, c. 730, 
§§8 and 16, is repealed. 
Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §83, sub-§22-A is enacted to read: 
22-A. 
Supervising 
technic:al 
college. 
"Supervising 
technical college" means 
a 
college designated in Title 20-A, 
section 12714 and recognized by thl;! board to represent a region 
of the State, as designated by the board, with respect to matters 
subject to this chapter. 
Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §84, sub-§I, ,0, as amended by PL 1991, c. 
588, §9, is further amended to read: 
D. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this chapter must include, but 
are not limited to, the following: 
(1) 
The 
eempesi~ieH--e'--Fe~ieHa~--eeYHei~s--aHd--~~e 
process 
by 
which 
~~ey 
the 
supervising 
technical 
colleges come to be recognized as representing their 
regions: 
(2) 
The 
manner 
in 
which 
Fe~ieaal---€e.yR€i±s 
the 
supervising 
technical 
colleges 
must 
report 
their 
activities and financesr and the manner in which those 
activities must be carried out under this chapter; 
(3) 
The designation of regions within the State; 
(4) 
The requirements for licensure for all vehicles, 
persons and services subject to this chapter, including 
training and testing of personnel; and 
(5) 
Fees to be charged for licenses under this section. 
In adopting any rule under subparagraph (4) that requires 
services that deliver advanced care to meet 
a 
specified 
percentage level of performance, the regulation may not take 
effect 
unless 
the 
level 
is 
specified after 
study, 
in 
cooperation with 
Fe~ieHa~--eeYHei~s supervising technical 
colleges and local service units. 
Sec. 4. 32 MRSA §84, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1991, c. 588, 
§11, is further amended to read: 
2. 
Goals. 
The board shall establish and pursue its goals 
as follows. 
A. 
The 
board shall monitor 
the provision of 
emergency 
medical 
services 
wi thin 
the 
State. 
The 
board 
shall 
establish, by rule, its goals in monitoring the provision of 
services and in 
ills~!'illlj ensuring that these services are 
appropriately delivered. 
These goals must be in the nature 
of objectives and do not constitute absolute requirements. 
In establishing these goals, the board shall seek the input 
of 
individuals, 
agencies, 
services 
and 
organizations 
interested in emergency medical services. The board shall 
also take into consideration the goals established by the 
!'eljiellal-ee~llei~s supervising technical colleges pursuant to 
section 89. 
B. 
In each year, and in conjunction with the preparation of 
the emergency medical services report, the director under 
the direction of the board shall prepare a list of those 
among 
the 
goals that most 
need 
to 
be 
pursued in the 
succeeding year. 
This list must be made available to the 
!'eljieBal-ee~llei~s supervising technical colleges so that the 
!'eljieBal-ee~llei~s supervising technical colleges may propose 
projects 
to 
further 
particular 
goals 
within 
their 
own 
regions. 
C. 
In pursuing these goals, the board may make grants to 
the 
~eljiella~--ee~Bei~s supervising technical colleges 
for 
projects 
the 
~eljiella±---ee~Beils 
supervising 
technical 
colleges have proposedT and that the board has determined 
are 
consistent with the 
requirements 
and goals 
of this 
chapter; 
contract 
for 
services; 
cooperate 
with 
other 
departments or agencies; accept and disburse granted funds; 
or act in other lawful ways as may best serve the public 
good. 
Sec. 5. 32 MRSA §84, sub-§3, "B and E, as amended by PL 1991, 
c. 588, §12, are further amended to read: 
B. 
The extent and nature of the continuing programs of 
training and support for emergency medical services carried 
out by the 
~eljieBal-€e~lleils supervising technical colleges 
and Maine Emergency Medical Services; 
E. 
The income and expenditures of the board and of the 
~eljieBa~---ee~Bei16 
=s~u~p~e~r~v~i=s~i~n~g~ __ ~t~e~c~h~n~~~'~c~a~l~ __ c~o~l~l~e~g~e~s __ ~o~n 
emergency medical services. 
Sec. 6. 32 MRSA §84-A, sub-§l, ,A, 
730, §§10 and 16, is amended to read: 
as enacted by PL 1985, c. 
A. 
To review the 
~eljiella±--e9~Bei161 
function and operation of the board and 
in matters involving emergency medical 
services, 
the 
supervising 
technical 
colleges 
to 
assQ~e 
ensure that these organizations are in compliance with their 
statutory and public service responsibilities; 
Sec. 7. 32 MRS A §85, sub-§I, as amended by PL 1985, c. 730, 
§§ll and 16, is further amended to read: 
1. 
Basic and advanced skills. 
With advice 
from and in 
consultation with each 
~e~ieBal--eeQBeil supervising technical 
college and its medical control committee and with the statewide 
emergency 
medical 
services' 
medical 
director, 
the 
board 
may 
provide, 
by 
rule, 
which 
skills, 
techniques 
and 
judgments 
constitute a basic emergency medical treatment. 
Sec. 8. 32 MRSA §87-A, sub-§I, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 311, 
§4, is amended to read: 
1. 
Trauma care system development. 
Maine Emergency Medical 
Services shall develop a statewide trauma care system plan with 
the advice of the State Trauma Prevention and Control Advisory 
Committee and the 
l'e~ieBal-~·qe';lloY--FReEl.ieal-~-¥-i-o-e&--eeQBeils 
supervising technical colleges. 
Sec. 9. 32 MRSA §87-A, sub-§2, ,rH, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 
311, §4, is amended to read: 
H. 
A 
~e~ieBal--~~e££Y--1~i~~--&eF~~&--€eel'aiBa~eF 
representative of a supervising technical college; 
Sec. 10. 32 MRSA §88, sub-§I, ,A, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
713, §l, is further amended to read: 
A. 
The board has 
one 
member 
representing each 
~e~ieBal 
eeQBeil T 
supervising technical college and 11 persons in 
addition. 
Of the additional persons, one is an emergency 
physician, 
one an attorney, 
t=we 
.f. representatives of the 
public, 
one 
a 
representative 
of 
for-profit 
ambulance 
services, 
one 
an 
emergency 
professional 
nurse, 
one 
a 
representative 
of 
nontransporting 
emergency 
medical 
services, 
one 
a 
representative 
of 
hospitals, 
one 
a 
representative of a 
statewide association of fire chiefs, 
one a 
fire services provider and one 
a representative of 
not-for-profit 
ambulance 
services. 
The 
members 
that 
represent 
for-profit 
ambulance 
services, 
nontransporting 
emergency 
medical 
services 
and 
not-for-profit 
ambulance 
services 
must 
be 
licensed 
emergency 
medical 
services 
persons. One of the nonpublic members must be a volunteer 
emergency medical services provider. 
Appointments are for 
3-year terms. 
Members are appointed by the Governor. 
The 
state medical director is an ex officio nonvoting member of 
the board. 
Sec. 11. 32 MRSA §88, sub-§2, ,E, as amended by PL 1989, c. 
857, §70, is further amended to read: 
E. 
The 
board 
shall 
keep 
records 
and 
minutes 
of 
its 
activities and meetings. 
These records and minutes must be 
made 
easily 
accessible 
to 
the 
public 
and 
be 
provided 
expeditiously upon request. 
The board shall distribute to 
all 
licensed 
emergency 
medical 
services 
persons 
a 
publication 
listing 
training 
and 
testing 
opportunities, 
meeting 
schedules 
of 
the 
board 
and 
~e~ieBal--€e~aei±6 
supervising technical colleges, proposed rule changes and 
other information judged by the board to have merit in 
improving emergency medical patient care in the State. 
The 
board shall create, print and distribute this publication in 
the 
most 
cost-efficient 
manner 
possible. 
Any 
paid 
advertising utilized to accomplish this purpose may not be 
solicited by board members or staff and must be included in 
such a way that endorsement of a product or service by the 
board 
can 
not 
reasonably 
be 
inferred. 
The 
board 
may 
prepare, 
publish 
and 
disseminate 
educational 
and 
other 
materials to improve emergency medical patient care. 
Sec. 12. 32 MRSA §88, sub-§2, ,H, as amended by PL 1991, c. 
588, §16, is further amended to read: 
H. 
With the approval of the commissioner, the board may 
enter into contracts, subject to provisions of state law, 
and delegate this authority to the director. 
The board may 
also 
delegate, 
through 
rules, 
to 
staff, 
any 
provision 
necessary to carry out this chapter, including the process 
of hearings. 
Funds appropriated or allocated to the board 
to 
be 
contracted with the 
~e~ieaa±--ee~Bei*6 supervising 
technical 
colleges 
may 
be 
disbursed 
on 
a 
sole-source 
co~~ract basis, . acc.ording to guidelines established by the 
board. Funds must be expended in accordance with standard 
state contract or grant procedures 
and guidelines where 
appropriate. 
Sec. 13. 32 MRS A §89, as amended by PL 1999, c. 182, §15, is 
further amended to read: 
S89. Regions and supervising technical colleges 
1. 
Regions 
to 
be 
established; 
supervising 
technical 
colleges. 
The board shall delineate regions within the State to 
carry out the purposes of this chapter. 
The board shall set out 
conditions under which 
aB--G-~B],,3-at.ieB a 
technical college in 
each region may 
be 
recognized by the board as 
the 
~e~ieBal 
ee1:lBeil 
supervising 
technical 
college 
for 
that 
region. 
A 
~e~ieBal--ee1:lBeil 
supervising 
technical 
college 
shall, 
at 
a 
minimum, provide adequate representa.tion for ambulance and rescue 
services, emergency room physicians and nurses, each hospital and 
the general public. 
A 
~e~ieBa-:l--Efe1:lBeil supervising technical 
college must be structured to adequately represent each major 
geographical part of its region. 
Only 
one 
~e~ieBal--ee1:lBeil 
supervising technical college may be recognized in any region. 
2. 
Duties of supervising technical colleges. 
The 
~e~ieBal 
ee1:lBeils supervising technical 
col~ shall function as the 
primary planning and operational units of the statewide emergency 
medical 
services 
system. 
Each 
~e~ieBal--ee1:lBeil 
supervising 
technical college shall carry out an annual program, approved by 
the 
board, 
to 
further 
the 
goals 
specified 
in 
section 
84, 
subsection 
2. 
Specific 
responsibilities 
of 
the 
ee1:lBeils 
supervising technical colleges include, but are not limited to, 
the following: 
A. 
Establishing a regional medical control committee; 
B. 
Appointing, subject to approval by the board, a regional 
medical director, who must be a licensed physician and shall 
serve as an agent of Maine Emergency Medical Services. 
The 
regional medical director may delegate in writing to other 
licensed physicians, who shall similarly serve as agents of 
Maine 
Emergency Medical Services, 
the responsibilities of 
this position; 
C. 
Advising the board on the licensing of new ambulance, 
nontransporting emergency medical and air ambulance services 
within each region; 
D. 
Assisting Maine Emergency Medical Services in carrying 
on a program of testing emergency medical services persons 
within each region, 
subject to availability of financial 
resources for the testing; 
E. 
Assisting the board 
statewide 
certification 
in 
and 
developing and implementing a 
decertification 
process 
for 
emergency medical services persons; 
F. 
Nominating 
or 
more 
candidates 
from 
each 
ee1:lBeil 
supervising 
technical 
collegE~ 
for 
a 
position 
on 
the 
Emergency Medical 
Se~yiees..!. Services Board, 
from whom the 
Governor may select a member; and 
G. 
Establishing regional goals to carry out the provisions 
of this chapter. 
SUMMARY 
This 
bill 
eliminates 
the 
current 
regional 
emergency 
medical services councils and transfers the authority and funding 
to the technical colleges in each region.