Establishes the New York state rural ambulance services task force to conduct annual studies on the availability of ambulance services in rural areas and to make recommendations upon the findings of such studies; requires the department of health to submit an annual report detailing the findings of such studies.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10990
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
New York state rural ambulance services task force
PURPOSE:
This bill permanently establishes the New York State rural ambulance
service task force.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Establishes the rural ambulance services task force, outlines
duties thereof, composition of the task force, terms of service for
members, compensation of task force members, confidentiality of investi-
gation materials, parameters of annual reports, and lists the offices
that shall receive the annual report.
Section 2: Sets effective date.
EXISTING LAW:
This bill makes the rural ambulance task force defined in Chapter 84 of
the Laws of New York, 2022 permanent.
JUSTIFICATION:
Ambulance services represent the "first-mile" of emergency medicine
response for all New Yorkers and can be the difference between life and
death. In rural communities, those services are too often at severe
financial risk compared to in more populated areas. High fixed costs
against longer down times, as well as high public-payer mixes in poorer
and aging rural areas, have made EMS financially unsustainable in too
many upstate communities.
To fully understand the functionality of rural ambulance services, and
to generate legislative recommendations for policy changes, New York
State in 2022 enacted a temporary rural ambulance services task force.
That task force presented a final report with 38 proposals addressing
four primary areas of concern: funding, staffing, standards, and
systems. Several of those proposals have become legislative bills,
including some ideas consistent with proposals enacted into law like
treatment-in-place and alternate destination transport.
To build on the important work of this task force, this bill would make
it permanent and require submission of annual reports to the governor
and the leaders of both houses of the Legislature. A permanent task
force will be able to examine emerging trends and new issues in ambu-
lance services, and would provide a longitudinal perspective on the
evolution of rural ambulance services, payment system's, and sustaina-
bility.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10990
IN ASSEMBLY
April 14, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
New York state rural ambulance services task force
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2 3032-a to read as follows:
3 § 3032-a. Rural ambulance services task force. 1. The department is
4 hereby authorized to establish the New York state rural ambulance
5 services task force within the bureau of emergency medical services to
6 examine, evaluate and make recommendations concerning New York state
7 ambulance services in rural areas.
8 2. (a) Such task force shall be comprised of individuals with exper-
9 tise in providing emergency medical services and/or providing medical
10 services in rural areas. The members shall be appointed as follows:
11 (i) two members appointed by the governor;
12 (ii) two members appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
13 (iii) two members appointed by the speaker of the assembly;
14 (iv) one member appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
15 (v) one member appointed by the minority leader of the assembly;
16 (vi) two members appointed by the office of fire prevention and
17 control;
18 (vii) two members appointed by the bureau of emergency medical
19 services; and
20 (viii) two members appointed by the commissioner of labor.
21 (b) One of the appointments by the governor shall serve as chairperson
22 of the task force.
23 (c) The members of the task force shall serve for four years. Members
24 shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be allowed
25 their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their
26 services.
27 (d) The task force may collect and shall be provided all relevant
28 information necessary to carry out its functions from any relevant agen-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15383-01-6
A. 10990 2
1 cy. Members of the task force shall keep any information received in the
2 course of their duties confidential and shall only use such information
3 in the course of carrying out their duties on the task force.
4 3. Such task force shall conduct annual studies on the availability of
5 ambulance services in rural areas, with a particular focus on the unique
6 challenges they face and their ability to provide services. Utilizing
7 information obtained from such studies, the task force shall report and
8 provide recommendations in accordance with subdivision four of this
9 section, which shall include, but not be limited to the following:
10 (a) an analysis of the total number of ambulance services available in
11 rural areas of the state, provided by service type and geographic region
12 they serve and compared to the documented need for such services;
13 (b) assessing current reimbursement structures in place for ambulance
14 services as well as various methods to fund or otherwise raise revenue
15 for such services;
16 (c) assessing barriers that currently exist that may have led to a
17 shortage of available ambulance services to meet the need; and
18 (d) studying any other issue such task force deems relevant.
19 4. Within twelve months of the effective date of this section, and
20 annually thereafter, the department shall submit a report detailing the
21 findings of the study to the governor, the temporary president of the
22 senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
