This bill reforms the administration of the emergency medical services fund.

Section 1 (144E.50) transfers administration of the emergency medical services fund from the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board to the Commissioner of Health. The money from the fund will no longer be evenly distributed by the board to the eight designated regional emergency medical services boards, but evenly distributed by the commissioner to eight successful grant applicants, one per region. Each grantee will oversee its regional emergency medical services programs and determine how the funds granted it are utilized within the purpose of the grant, except that no funds can be used to directly subsidize any ambulance service. Because the funds will no longer be distributed to the regional boards, the regional board audit requirements are eliminated.

Section 2 (144F.01, subdivision 5) eliminates reference to the regional emergency medical services boards in connection to regional emergency medical services programs that may be funded with revenue raised by levies in emergency medical services special taxing districts.

Section 3 (169.686, subdivision 3) changes the recipients of a portion of the funds collected as fines for violations of the state’s seat belt laws from the regional emergency medical services boards to the same grantees specified in section 144E.50.

Section 4 (Appropriation) appropriates an unspecified amount of money from the general fund to the emergency medical services fund, which is the subject of section 144E.50, and to the Commissioner of Health for program operating expenses.  This section also appropriates an unspecified amount of the emergency medical services relief account, which contains revenue from the seat belt fines, to the Commissioner of Health for program operating expenses.

Section 5 (Revisor Instruction)  is an instruction to the revisor to move Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.50 “Emergency Medical Services Fund,”  from chapter 144E “Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board” to chapter 144 “Department of Health.”