Committee advances bill to allow bonding for ambulance purchases; sponsors say it will help rural EMS

The House Appropriations and Finance Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 197, which would authorize bonding for ambulance purchases under terms similar to financing available for fire apparatus, sponsors said.

Representative Vincent, a cosponsor, and Senator Campos told the committee the bill would align the Emergency Medical Services Act with the Fire Fund Act to let EMS providers bond ambulance purchases and reduce financing costs. Representative Vincent said modern ambulances can be costly and take multiple years to receive; he described the measure as a way to "leverage the resources" and lower capital costs for rural providers.

Marquita Russell of the New Mexico Finance Authority urged support, saying the authority has long funded fire trucks and police vehicles through dedicated revenue streams and has offered low-cost loans for apparatus. She said loans of this type are often issued without application fees or origination fees and are commonly done at 0% interest.

Representatives asked for clarification on which organizations were present; sponsors identified Allison Nichols and Tim Johnson from the New Mexico Municipal League as accompanying witnesses. Representative Herndon asked what sponsors meant by "not bonding" purchases; Representative Vincent explained that while fire trucks could be bonded under existing law, the EMS Act lacked that option and the bill brings ambulance purchases into parity.

Representative Sanchez moved a "do pass" recommendation; ranking member Chatfield seconded. The committee recorded no opposition and advanced the bill out of committee.

Witnesses noted typical ambulance cost ranges during the hearing: Representative Vincent said a new ambulance can cost "half a million dollars" with certain equipment, while another sponsor later described an ambulance at about "280,000." The committee did not adopt fiscal specifics or a funding schedule at the hearing.