Iowa politics: Bill to expand what EMS funds can be spent on passes subcommittee
A bill to expand what can be covered by Emergency Medical Services funding is starting to make its way through the Iowa Statehouse.
A Senate subcommittee voted in favor of the measure this morning.
It would allow cities to pay EMS provider salaries or wages from an Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund. Multiple groups spoke in favor of the bill.
The Iowa Emergency Medical Services Association says it's neutral right now, but believes current law already allows for flexibility in spending.
"Right now we feel like the program is extremely permissive," said Cody Carlson of the Iowa League of Cities. "What we're worried about is if we start adding things and adding things and adding more and more things, it's going to be more prescriptive and you're going to have a race to the Capitol building often — every time someone wants to do something innovative or different than some other county has done.
"That would be totally counter to what we were trying to do when we designed the program."
There is a similar bill proposed in the Iowa House.
It has not been heard in a subcommittee yet.
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