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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session |
House: COM DP 10-1-0-0 |
HB 2402: ambulance services; certificates of necessity
Sponsor: Representative Willoughby, LD 13
Caucus & COW
Overview
Makes various revisions to statute relating to the regulation of ambulances and ambulance services.
History
DHS regulates the operation of ambulances and ambulance services, including regulating the response times of ambulances to meet the needs of the public and to ensure adequate service. Individuals wishing to operate an ambulance service in this state must apply for a certificate of necessity. Upon determining that the public necessity requires the service, or any part of the service proposed by the applicant, DHS issues the certificate provided the applicant is found to be fit and proper to provide the service and has paid and filed the appropriate fees and bonds (A.R.S. § 36-2232).
Provisions
Ambulance Services; Reporting Requirements
1. Requires each ambulance services to provide outlined information on a quarterly basis to DHS relating to dispatched ambulances. (Sec. 3)
2. Instructs DHS to make the information regarding dispatched ambulances available to the public on request and on the department's website, with appropriate redacted personally identifying information. (Sec. 3)
3. Stipulates, for ambulance services who fail to provide the quarterly report, DHS must issue a notice to comply within 30 calendar days after the end of the quarter. (Sec. 3)
4. Authorizes DHS to impose a civil penalty of up to $500 to ambulance services for failure to comply within 15 calendar days after receiving the notice to comply with the quarterly reporting requirement. (Sec. 3)
5. Defines emergency medical dispatch classification. (Sec. 3)
Ambulance Services Regulations
6. Allows, rather than requires, DHS to provide a waiver to the requirement to install an electronic global positioning system monitoring device on each vehicle to an ambulance service that can reasonably demonstrate its inability to meet the requirement because at least 30% of the service area does not have global position system coverage. (Sec. 4)
7. Specifies the waiver expires on April 1 of each year and may be annually renewed. (Sec. 4)
8. Directs DHS to:
a. establish an online certificate of necessity application portal allowing applicants to track application status and applicable deadlines; and
b. make available to the public on their website a dashboard of ambulance service response times viewable by call type and the percentage of calls that required advanced life support services. (Sec. 4)
9. Prohibits DHS from requiring an applicant to purchase equipment, ambulances or other vehicles prior to approving the certificate of necessity provide the applicant can demonstrate the ability to provide all services required in accordance with the certificate of necessity. (Sec. 5)
10. Provides for allowing DHS to issue a certificate of necessity to the city, town or fire district or a private ambulance service to provide ambulance services to a geographic area. (Sec. 5)
11. Stipulates, for certificate of necessity appeals, an ambulance service in the affected region and each interested party have seven days after receiving the hearing notice to intervene. (Sec. 6)
12. Requires DHS to assess a civil penalty of $1,500 on an ambulance service for noncompliance with certificate of necessity's requirements. (Sec. 6)
13. Allows the certificate of necessity holder to appeal by requesting a hearing through the Office of Administrative Hearings. (Sec. 6)
14. Requires DHS to base all decisions relating to the renewal of a certificate of necessity on current data. (Sec. 7)
Miscellaneous
15. Instructs each local emergency medical services coordinating system to additionally submit their regional emergency medical services plan to the Legislature. (Sec. 1)
16. Exempts, from statutory regulations relating to emergency medical services, Arizona registered ambulances that are responding to a major catastrophe, emergency or wildland fire event in Arizona because there are insufficient registered ambulances in the area affected by the major catastrophe, emergency or wildland fire event. (Sec. 2)
17. makes technical changes. (sec. 1, 4, 7, 8)
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21. Initials PB HB 2402
22. 2/1/2026 Page 0 Caucus & COW
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