Bill Analyses and Ratings

Rating: 0

Bill Summary:

House Bill 206 comprehensively restructures Idaho’s emergency medical services (EMS) system by transferring authority from the Department of Health and Welfare to the Idaho Military Division. It creates a new chapter in Title 46, consolidating EMS functions, funding structures, licensing processes, and oversight mechanisms under a centralized state agency focused on emergency coordination. The bill repeals and replaces over two dozen existing code sections and administrative rules, merging responsibilities into the newly created Emergency Medical Services Act.

Key provisions include:

• Designation of a statewide EMS program under the Idaho Military Division with an appointed medical director.
• Consolidation of various EMS-related funding mechanisms into two new dedicated funds: the EMS Fund and the EMS Vehicle and Equipment Grant Fund.
• Establishment of licensing standards, agency oversight, personnel certification, and procedures for license actions.
• Continued operation of the Idaho Time Sensitive Emergency (TSE) System for trauma, stroke, and heart attack coordination, including regional committees, data registries, and center designations.
• Sunset of EMS rulemaking authority by July 1, 2027, with the expectation that any necessary administrative rules be codified in statute by that time.

Reason for Rating:

While HB 206 represents a significant bureaucratic reorganization, it does not clearly expand or reduce the size of government in a way that aligns directly with the Idaho Republican Party Platform. The bill could be viewed as either an efficiency improvement or a centralization of state power, depending on interpretation. It avoids new taxes, benefits rural and underserved EMS systems, and emphasizes coordinated emergency response, but it also increases top-down oversight and temporarily expands rulemaking authority. Given the administrative nature and dual-edged implications, this bill receives a neutral rating.