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Bill

S 1416

Requires equal distribution of legislative staff and resources

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jim Tedisco

NJ OEMS must develop, publish, and maintain a Statewide EMS Plan (with possible regional plans) updated every three years to coordinate and improve EMS statewide.

REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
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Bill Summary · S 1416

Summary — S.1416: Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan (OEMS / DOH)

Note on source material: The documents provided include multiple drafts and versions from different jurisdictions (including a Massachusetts draft and mixed metadata). This summary focuses on the substantive New Jersey bill text and committee/fiscal documents describing a requirement for the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) in the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to develop a Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan.

Main purpose

Require the NJ Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) to develop, publish, maintain, and periodically update a comprehensive Statewide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Plan to coordinate and improve emergency medical services across the State.

Key provisions

  • OEMS must prepare a Statewide EMS Plan that sets short- and long-term goals and objectives to create a coordinated EMS system.
  • The plan may incorporate regional EMS plans. Regional plans (if used) are to be jointly developed by county boards of health in the region, in consultation with local boards, and must be approved by OEMS; approved regional plans become part of the Statewide Plan.
  • OEMS must review and update the Plan at least every three years (triennially).
  • DOH must publish the Plan on its website.

Minimum required elements in the Plan (selected highlights)
- Inventory of EMS resources statewide.
- Assessment of current EMS system effectiveness and identification of needed changes to improve access and care for regions or populations.
- Development of performance metrics, a schedule and method to monitor achievement, and a cost estimate for meeting metrics.
- Coordination with hospitals, professional organizations and agencies to reduce inappropriate use of emergency departments for nonurgent care.
- Development/maintenance of EMS patient care data collection and performance improvement systems (incorporating data already reported to DOH).
- Process to designate/verify trauma centers, certified stroke centers, and specialty care centers (with certain reports exempted from public-record status for designation purposes).
- Establishment/maintenance of crisis intervention and peer-support services for EMS and public safety personnel; accreditation standards require leadership by a licensed mental-health clinician with ≥5 years’ experience as a mental-health consultant to EMS/public safety.
- Creation/support of statewide health/medical emergency response teams and EMS disaster task forces.
- Programs to improve EMS dispatching (training, accrediting 911 centers, maintaining public safety answering points).
- Identification and dissemination of EMS best practices; expanded paramedic/advanced life support training with emphasis on underserved regions.
- OEMS to coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children program and the State trauma medical director to align existing programs/protocols with the Statewide Plan.

Impact and costs

  • Office of Legislative Services (OLS) fiscal estimate: annual State and potential local expenditure increases — indeterminate. OLS notes costs could reach into the millions annually over a multi‑year period depending on plan scope and implementation.
  • Local (county/municipal) costs could rise if regional plans are developed by county/local boards of health.
  • The bill could produce long‑term savings if system efficiencies or improved health outcomes reduce future treatment costs.
  • OLS produced the fiscal estimate after no Executive Branch fiscal note was provided.

Who is affected

  • Department of Health / OEMS (primary implementation responsibility).
  • County and local boards of health (if regional plans used).
  • EMS agencies and providers, hospitals and specialty care centers, 911/public safety answering points, emergency medical personnel and public-safety personnel, and patients/residents statewide.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Triennial plan review/updates required.
  • Some versions specify the act takes effect 180 days after enactment.
  • Committee activity in the provided record includes a favorable committee report (Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens — Feb 3, 2025), hearings noted, and subsequent referrals to appropriations/ways-and-means-style committees. Legislative status in the provided metadata is mixed; consult the official state legislative website for current status.

If you want, I can: (1) extract the plan’s complete list of required elements into a one‑page checklist, (2) prepare a short briefing for county health officials on expected obligations, or (3) locate the bill’s current status on the official NJ Legislature site.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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