Previous Story
TO RESOLVE FIGHT OVER AMBULANCE FEE Bill proposes creation of special account
|
Posted on Aug 25 1999
In a bid to resolve conflict as to where revenues from ambulance fee should go, the chair of the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations has proposed to establish an account to be used for maintenance of these emergency vehicles as well as for personnel training.
A bill called the Ambulance Fee Act of 1999 will also seek to grant expenditure authority over the collections to both the commissioner of Public Safety and the secretary of the Department of Public Health.
The move is in line with efforts by the Legislature to address what it perceives as unfair treatment and to correct the existing set-up that has shortchanged DPS.
Although it runs and maintains the fleet of ambulance vans used by the Commonwealth Health Center to respond to emergency cases outside the hospital, the $300 charged for each run does not go to the department.
At least $6,000 is collected daily by DPH when it responds to an average of 10 to 20 emergency calls. Under a memorandum of agreement forged years ago, the department transfers the collections to the general funds.
But the bill will specifically set aside the money for the repair, maintenance and upgrade of ambulance vehicles as well as for ambulance personnel and training.
The legislator argues that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth that such fees should be reserved for these purposes, rather than be spent for other needs of the government.
Cepeda’s proposal followed an oversight hearing conducted in June by the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations on DPS where the issue was brought up. (BS)
