Committee backs bill trimming community paramedic training hours and refocusing training on social determinants

Sponsor presented HB 1136 as a workforce measure to lower the previous 300‑hour training requirement for community paramedics and to reorient training away from emergency‑department services toward social determinants of health, such as transportation barriers, medication access and post‑discharge follow up. The sponsor said lowering hours aims to encourage more practitioners to enter the field while retaining adequate standards; the change also reflects wide variation among other states in required hours.

The sponsor told the committee the amendment previously adopted should help clarify program details and that the Department of Health and analyst groups worked on aligning the curriculum. No members of the public spoke for or against the measure at the committee hearing. The committee gave the bill a do‑pass recommendation by voice vote.

The committee record shows the sponsor said the change is intended to "incentivize more people to go into the field while at the same time maintaining the standards we need to make sure they're adequately trained." The bill replaces a reference to "emergency department services" with training on social determinants of health to match the community paramedic role. The committee passed HB 1136; next steps include statutory processing and any DHS implementation guidance for reimbursement pathways.