Committee hears bill to move emergency care provider licensing from medical board to Department of Labor program

Senate Bill 518, introduced by Sen. Derek Harvey, would remove emergency care providers (ECPs) — including EMTs and paramedics — from under the Board of Medical Examiners and make them a licensure program within the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). The House Business and Labor Committee heard the bill and heard both supporters and opponents describe how the change would affect training, protocol changes and statewide medical oversight.

Why it matters: Committee members were told the move would let DLI implement licensing rules and program changes more quickly and reduce costs for licensees, a point proponents said matters especially in rural Montana. Opponents — including volunteer EMS managers and emergency physicians — said the change risks weakening physician-level oversight for high-risk, out‑of‑hospital care and asked for explicit statewide medical leadership to be preserved.

Sen. Derek Harvey (Senate District 37) told the committee the bill “brings efficient implementation of procedures and devices into our protocols” and said moving ECP licensure to…