Legislation from state Senator Michele Brooks aims at providing funding for emergency medical responders.

Brooks’ plans to introduce legislation to earmark $3 million in American Rescue Plan funds to “establish a program to pay for individuals to earn their initial EMS certification….”

“Pennsylvania is in a state of crisis in regards to the certified EMS shortage, with the ranks of those available to answer emergency calls dwindling to alarming lows,” she said in a memo released last week.

The legislation will address a wide range of certifications including emergency medical responders (EMRs), emergency medical technicians (EMTs), advanced EMTs and paramedics.

“By covering any level of certification,” the memo states, “we are attracting new EMRs, EMTs and AEMTs, but also giving current EMRs, EMTs and AEMTs who have been willingly and unselfishly serving and protecting the people in our communities the incentive to become” a paramedic.

“This legislation will also ensure that the program makes these funds available to all geographic areas of the Commonwealth,” Brooks stressed.

Brooks has also partnered with a colleague, Democratic Philadelphia collar county Sen. Katie Muth, on a measure to improve health insurance reimbursement for ambulance services.

A legislative memo in that effort was filed Wednesday.

“Our legislation,” the memo states, “will amend Act 284 of 1921, known as the Insurance Company Law to require insurance carriers to reimburse ambulance companies for 911 emergency medical services provided regardless of whether the EMS agency is part of the insurance carrier’s network.”

The bill will change a provision in 2015 that created a registry “which out-network 911 ambulance companies could select annually from which insurance carrier they would be willing to receive reimbursement” but they argue “network membership should not be a hurdle to an ambulance company receiving due recompense for services provided.”