The Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013 () is a bill in the

113th United States Congress The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Presidency of Barack Obama, Barack Obama's presiden ...

. The bill was introduced on January 14, 2013 by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). It passed the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

on February 12, 2013 by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

, indicating that it was generally non-controversial.

Background

In the 112th United States Congress a nearly identical bill was introduced and passed by the House. That bill, , was passed by the House on September 19, 2012 and referred to the Senate. It died in the Senate when the new congressional session started and will need to go through the entire legislative process again before ever becoming law.

Procedural history

Introduction

The Bill was introduced on January 14, 2013 by Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) was an original co-sponsor. Fourteen additional Representatives became co-sponsors between January 22 and February 4. The

long title In certain jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions (such as Canada or Australia), as well as the United States and the Philippines, primary legislation has both a short title and a long title. The ...

of the Bill is "To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States to streamline State requirements and procedures for veterans with military emergency medical training to become civilian emergency medical technicians."

Committee

On January 14, 2013, the Bill was referred to the

House Committee on Energy and Commerce The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than ...

. On January 18, the Committee referred it to the

Subcommittee on Health The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is a subcommittee within the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Jurisdiction The House Subcommittee on Health has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to pub ...

. After debating and examining the bill, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce referred the bill out of committee to the full House. The bill was accompanied b
Report 113-5
a report in which the Committee explains the bill, provides information about hearings the Committee held, and gives an estimated budget. This was done on February 4, 2013 and the Bill was immediately placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 3.

Passage in the House

The Bill was considered on the floor of the House on February 12, 2013. The bill was debated under a

suspension of the rules In parliamentary procedure, a suspension of the rules allows a deliberative assembly to set aside its normal rules to do something that it could not do otherwise. However, there are rules that cannot be suspended. Explanation of use Rules are ess ...

and agreed to by a

Referral to the Senate

The Bill was referred to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on February 13, 2013. It was sent to the

United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sen ...

for consideration.

Provisions/Elements of the bill

Summary

The Bill would amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a demonstration program for states with a shortage of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to streamline state requirements and procedures to assist

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

s who completed military EMT training while serving in the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

to meet state EMT certification,

licensure Licensure means a restricted practice or a restriction on the use of an occupational title, requiring a license. A license created under a "practice act" requires a license before performing a certain activity, such as driving a car on public roa ...

, and other requirements.

Congressional Budget Office report

The

Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. Inspired by California's Legislative Analyst's Office that manages ...

released a report on the bill, as ordered by the

on January 22, 2013. The following is the summary of the Congressional Budget Office's report:

H.R. 235 would authorize grants to states for streamlining state certification and licensing requirements for veterans to become licensed or certified emergency medical technicians (EMT).
The bill would authorize the appropriation of $1 million and CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $1 million over the 2014-2018 period, assuming the appropriation of the authorized amount. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA''(pdf)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1995-title2/html/USCODE-1995-title2-chap25.htm (text)] restricts the federal government of the United States, federal imposition of unfunded mandates on ...
(UMRA).

Support for the bill

Supporters of the bill considered it a "common sense" measure that would help returning veterans find work by ending the requirement that emergency personnel retake civilian certification courses when they already held similar certifications from the military. The

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians is an American professional association representing Emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Lobbying In March 2013, the association unsuccessfully lobbied for the Veteran Emer ...

sponsored "EMS on the Hill Day" during which NAEMT staff members and other EMT professionals spoke to congressional staffers and Representatives about the bill, asking them to support it.

Notes/References

External links

Library of Congress (THOMAS) H.R. 235
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920005032/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.235: , date=2014-09-20
beta.congress.gov H.R. 235GovTrack.us H.R. 235OpenCongress.org H.R. 235Congressional Budget Office's H.R. 235 page
Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress