Section 25-3.5-108 - EMS system sustainability task force - created - powers and duties - membership - reports - repeal(1)(a) The EMS system sustainability task force is created in the department.(b) The task force consists of the following twenty voting members: (I) The following two legislative members: (A) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate; and(B) One member of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;(II) The following eight members appointed by the director of the department: (A) Four individuals representing emergency medical services agencies and representing a mix of fire-department-based ambulance services, hospital-based ambulance services, critical care transport ambulance services, private ambulance services, frontier counties, rural counties, metropolitan counties, volunteer services, and air ambulance services;(B) One individual who is a board-certified emergency medical services physician;(C) Two individuals who are certified or licensed emergency medical service providers, one of whom is a licensed or certified paramedic and the other of whom is a licensed or certified emergency medical technician; and(D) One individual representing a community integrated health-care service agency, as defined in section 25-3.5-1301(1), that is licensed pursuant to part 13 of this article 3.5;(III) One member of a statewide group representing emergency medical service providers, as designated by the group;(IV) The chair of the council created in section 25-3.5-104(1)(a) or the chair's designee;(V) One member of a statewide group representing fire chiefs, as designated by the group;(VI) One member of a statewide group representing professional firefighters, as designated by the group;(VII) One member of a statewide group representing emergency medical service provider educators, as designated by the group;(VIII) One member of a statewide group representing special districts, as designated by the group;(IX) Two members of a statewide group representing counties, as designated by the group;(X) One member of a statewide group representing municipalities, as designated by the group; and(XI) One member of a statewide group representing hospitals, as designated by the group.(c) The director, or the director's designee, serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the task force.(d) Each legislative member of the task force appointed pursuant to subsection (1)(b)(I) of this section: (I) Is entitled to compensation in accordance with section 2-2-326;(II) Must have a party affiliation or nonaffiliation distinct from the other legislative member appointed to the task force; and(III) Serves until the appointment of a successor legislative member, upon termination of the legislative member's term of office in the general assembly, or upon completion of the task force's work, whichever occurs first.(e) The membership of the task force must represent both rural and metropolitan areas of the state as equally as possible.(f) Appointing or designating authorities must appoint or designate members of the task force on or before August 1, 2022.(g) Members appointed pursuant to subsections (1)(b)(II) to (1)(b)(XI) of this section serve for the duration of the task force. An appointing or designating authority shall fill any vacancy for the remainder of the duration of the task force. Members appointed or designated serve at the pleasure of the appointing or designating authority and continue to serve until a successor is appointed or designated. Each nonlegislative member of the task force serves without compensation but is entitled to receive reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of duties as a member of the task force.(2)(a) The legislative members of the task force shall convene the first meeting of the task force no later than September 30, 2022. At the first meeting of the task force, the voting members of the task force shall select one of the legislative members to serve as chair of the task force and the other legislative member to serve as vice-chair of the task force. The legislative members shall alternate between chair and vice-chair each year thereafter for the duration of the task force.(b) The task force shall meet at least four times each year and at such other times as a majority of the voting members of the task force deem necessary. The chair and vice-chair may designate subcommittees of the task force, which subcommittees may include both task force members and nonmembers, and establish organizational and procedural rules as are necessary for the work of the task force.(c) The task force may hear presentations from and seek the advice of other individuals, associations, or other organizations when, in the judgment of the task force, it would be helpful to obtain outside expertise to help the task force meet its obligations under this section.(3) The task force shall make recommendations for statutory, rule, and policy changes required to preserve, promote, and expand consumer access to quality life-preserving emergency medical care and services. To develop the recommendations, the task force's work must reflect at least the following phases of tasks:(a) Phase one, which includes:(I) Providing input on the regulatory structure for ambulance service oversight, including input regarding the mechanism by which the department and local jurisdictions will share accountability for ambulance service oversight; and(II) Overseeing the completion of an environmental scan that will generate a report on the state of emergency medical services in the state, which report is referred to in this subsection (3) as the "state report";(b) Phase two, which includes: (I) Reviewing data from the state report; and(II) Collaborating with stakeholders to formulate recommendations that address inequity or disparity in access to emergency medical services in the state;(c) Phase three, which, based on the task force's review of the state report, includes collaborating with stakeholders to formulate recommendations addressing emergency medical services workforce recruiting and retention needs in the state;(d) Phase four, which, based on the task force's review of the state report, includes collaborating with stakeholders to formulate recommendations addressing the financial sustainability of the state's emergency medical services system; and(e) Phase five, which includes reviewing the implementation status of prior task force recommendations and making recommendations for the long-term sustainability of the emergency medical services system.(4) The task force shall submit findings and recommendations to the general assembly and the department based on the following schedule: (a) On or before September 1, 2023, the task force shall submit a report summarizing its phase one findings and recommendations regarding the state of emergency medical services in the state;(b) On or before September 1, 2024, the task force shall submit a report summarizing its phase two findings and recommendations regarding equitable access to emergency medical services;(c) On or before September 1, 2025, the task force shall submit a report summarizing its phase three findings and recommendations regarding workforce recruiting and retention considerations;(d) On or before September 1, 2026, the task force shall submit a report summarizing its phase four findings and recommendations regarding financial sustainability of the state's emergency medical services system; and(e) On or before January 1, 2027, the task force shall submit a final report summarizing its phase five findings and recommendations regarding implementation of previous recommendations and its recommendations regarding long-term sustainability of the emergency medical services system.(5) This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2027.Added by 2022 Ch. 291,§3, eff. 6/1/2022.