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Legislative budget panel keeps Emergency Medical Services Board budget largely intact
Summary
Fiscal analysts told lawmakers the Emergency Medical Services Board requested $3.2 million for FY25, funded by a levy on fire insurance premiums and regulatory fees; the Legislative Budget Committee made no changes and the board warned of staffing shortages.
Megan Leopold, a fiscal analyst with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, told the Legislative Budget Subcommittee the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Board requested $3,200,000 for fiscal year 2025 and that the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) made no changes to the agency's recommendations.
Leopold said, "the EMS board does not have any SGF in their budget." She told the committee the EMS Board is funded by a levy on fire insurance premiums and by regulatory fees.
The FY25 request was $1,300,000 above the agency's actual 2024 expenditures and $145,000 above what the prior legislature approved. Leopold said the largest single change in the request was a $127,000 increase for the board's revolving and assistance grant program, which awards grants to communities to buy EMS equipment. She also identified a $10,000 increase for contractual services and $7,830 in other smaller adjustments.
Joseph House, executive director of the EMS Board, emphasized operational pressures and workforce shortages. "We currently have 6 vacancies of 14 FTEs," House said, and added the agency had been budgeting for a fully staffed complement despite ongoing recruitment challenges. He told the committee Kansas EMS responded to 445,000 requests for service last year and noted the system includes roughly 10,000 licensed providers, about 172 ambulance services and roughly 900 air and ground ambulances.
On fiscal year 2026, Leopold said the agency's proposed budget shows relatively small net change compared with FY25: an increase of about $29,000 compared with the 2025 approved level. She explained contractual services would increase for travel, training and communications and that a $25,000 reduction for the grant program was expected because carryover grant spending was anticipated in FY25 rather than FY26.
Leopold closed her presentation by calling attention to the EMS operating fund and a special revenue fund overview, noting the board collects fees that support operations and grants. Committee members questioned whether levy increases for the fund would directly raise insurance premiums; Leopold said the levy and premium-setting are separate mechanisms and that the agency's spending from the special revenue fund does not automatically change insurance company premium rates.
The subcommittee closed the EMS budget hearing and moved to the next agency.
