Kentucky legislative session ends
KBEMS, work-related injuries, and sex offender bills pass

By JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection

FRANKFORT — Legislation that puts the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services under the Kentucky Community and Technical College System was the primary EMS-related bill passing this year's Legislative Session in Frankfort, which ended last night.

Legislation also passed that protects volunteer firefighters, rescue squad members, emergency medical technicians, peace officers, and members of an emergency management agency from termination for 12 months when absent from work because of injuries incurred in the line of duty.

Finally, sex offender laws will be amended to prohibit fire departments, licensed ambulance services, or rescue squads from employing persons listed on the sex offender registry.

Going nowhere again this year was a bill that would have established a state-wide trauma system.

Details of EMS-related bills:

Signed into law by the Governor (most laws, when signed, go into effect 90 days after the session ended, which will be July 12).

• HB 256 Termination, prohibit while recovering from work related injuries. Signed by Governor on Mar. 24.

Passed by the Legislature and delivered to the Governor but not yet signed (the Governor can still veto all or part of a bill). A bill can also become law without the Governor's signature.

• HB 3 Sex offenders, employment of.
• HB 155 Board of Emergency Medical Services changes.

Bills that did not pass

• HB 119 Interlocal agreements.
• HB 182 Reporting of AED training and location in fitness facilities.
• HB 459 Appropriations from Firefighters Foundation Program Fund.
• HB 461 New requirement for informed consent.
• HB 515 Training, funding for.
• HB 724 Trauma care system, establish and fund.
• HR 19 Review of disaster response planning.
• HCR 22 Implementation of In Case of Emergency Program.
• SB 1 Amend the Constitution to limit medical/health care malpractice and damages.
• SB 53 Payment for wireless enhanced emergency 911 systems.
• SB 139 Board of Emergency Medical Services, attach to KCTCS, personnel functions, and transfers.
• SB 142 Training, funding for.
• SB 144 Local government employees, motor vehicle insurance.

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