Committee advances bill to move EMS regulation into governor-appointed council

A representative presented House Bill 1446 to create a governor-appointed EMS council that would assume the functions now performed by the State Office of EMS within the Department of Public Health (DPH). The bill would transfer existing powers, contracts and duties to the new council, provide for gubernatorial appointment of members (including representatives drawn from regional EMS councils and one private-provider seat), and administratively assign the council to the Department of Community Health (DCH).

The presenter said the transition timeline was intended to allow time for appointments and an orderly transfer of functions; in the transcript the speaker referred to an appointment date recorded as 07/01/1927 and an operational transfer effective 01/01/1928. Committee members asked whether the bill would change the destination for court review of agency appeals; the presenter said appeals would be to the superior court in the county where the controversy arose and that the bill was not intended to force statewide Fulton County venue. Legislative counsel confirmed that certain terms such as “sufficient number” and “complaints of a serious nature” are not defined elsewhere in the code.

Members also discussed training reciprocity, board composition, and whether the change would improve grant uptake and responsiveness to EMS professionals. The presenter said the design is intended to keep frontline EMS voices (from REMSACs, regional EMS councils) on the governing council and to preserve many existing code provisions while moving their location in statute. The committee voted to approve the measure by voice vote; the transcript does not include a numeric roll-call tally.