S.B. 281 Summary

• Requires the Department of Health to establish a steering committee and contract with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by September 30, 2019, to conduct a comprehensive study of Hawaii's state emergency medical system.

• Mandates the Department of Health submit a written report of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2020 regular session.

• Authorizes the Department of Health to establish a task force to develop an implementation plan for the study's findings and recommendations, with the task force to report to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2021 regular session and dissolve on June 30, 2021.

• Appropriates $11,872,596 from general revenues for fiscal year 2019-2020 to meet collective bargaining requirements and recurring personnel costs for contracted ambulance service providers.

• Appropriates $2,381,815 from general revenues for fiscal year 2019-2020 for other current expenses related to pre-hospital emergency medical services.