Authorizes the commissioner of health to extend the certification of any emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician or certified first responder who could not become recertified due to an illness or medical condition.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6196
SPONSOR: Curran TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the
commissioner of health to extend the certification of emergency medical
services personnel who were unable to complete recertification due to
illness or a medical condition
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To authorize the Commissioner of Health to extend the certification of
emergency medical technicians and first responders who cannot recertify
due to illness.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 3011 of the Public Health Law by adding a new
subdivision 10-a which authorizes the Commissioner of Health to extend
the certification of any emergency medical technician, advanced emergen-
cy medical technician or certified first responder who is unable to
recertify due to illness. The extension shall last for a period. of one
year after the individual's recovery from such illness.or medical condi-
tion.
JUSTIFICATION:
Current New York State law provides the Commissioner of Health with the
. authority to extend EMT certifications in two specific instances. In
the first instance, the Department may extend certifications until such
time that a State test result is released, or if a scheduled exam is
canceled and an individual's certification expired because the State did
not provide the scheduled exam. The Department may also extend certif-
ications of individuals who are ordered to active military duty and
whose certifications expire during that time. However, the Department
does not have the authority under current law to extend certifications
when extenuating circumstances, such as a medical emergency, renders an
individual unable to complete, the required refresher course and recer-
tification exam. In one such case in Nassau County, an individual who
missed a paramedic recertification exam after having undergone a kidney
transplant was unable to resume his duties when medically cleared to do
so, due to the fact that his certification expired and another exam was
not scheduled for another seven months. As a result of this situation,
"the volunteer ambulance corps to which this individual belongs has been
forced to make due without th e valuable services of a member who
responded to 217 emergency calls in the year before his illness. This
not only places enormous strain on the EMS system but endangers the
lives of those served by that system. In order to ensure the safety of
our citizens in need of EMS services, and at a time when New York State
is facing a shortage of EMS volunteers and has therefore made the
recruitment and retention of providers a priority, it makes sense to
give the Commissioner of Health the authority to grant certification
extensions cases where a provider is medically unable to recertify.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, and shall apply to .emergency
medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians and certi-
fied first responders whose certifications have expired within one year
prior to such effective date and to these whose certifications expire on
or after such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6196
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CURRAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to authorizing the
commissioner of health to extend the certification of emergency
medical services personnel who were unable to complete recertification
due to illness or a medical condition
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 3011 of the public health law is amended by adding
2 a new subdivision 10-a to read as follows:
3 10-a. The commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered to extend
4 the certification of any emergency medical technician, advanced emergen-
5 cy medical technician or certified first responder who suffered an
6 illness or medical condition which prevented such technician or respon-
7 der from renewing his or her certification. The extended certification
8 shall be for the period of such illness or medical condition, and for
9 twelve months after he or she has recovered from the illness or medical
10 condition.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately, and shall apply to emer-
12 gency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians and
13 certified first responders whose certifications have expired within one
14 year prior to such effective date and to those whose certifications
15 expire on or after such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10524-01-3
