Committee hears EMS modernization bill; includes AED registry, scope changes and non‑24‑hour nonemergency transport option

The Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare heard House Bill 2,280, a multi-part measure proponents described as an EMS modernization bill that updates provider scope-of-practice statutes, permits certain nonemergency ambulance services to operate less than 24 hours per day and requires registration of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Revisor Jenna summarized the bill. She said it amends multiple Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.) sections to clarify that authorized activities for paramedics, advanced emergency medical technicians (AEMTs), emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and emergency medical responders may be performed upon the order of a qualified health-care provider or in accordance with medical protocols. The bill would also allow ambulance services that provide only nonemergency transportation to operate fewer than 24 hours per day, and would require persons or entities that purchase, lease, possess or control an AED to register the AED with the Emergency Medical Services Board.

Joseph House, executive director of the Emergency Medical Services Board, said the language reflects three years of collaborative work with industry stakeholders and “modernizes” statutes so law matches current practice. House told the committee the non‑24‑hour provision is “absolutely necessary” to let nonemergency transfer businesses set workable hours and that a unified AED registration would consolidate roughly 300 disparate databases into a single registry accessible to ambulance services and 911 communication centers. “So when you call 911…the 911 knows the closest AED is sitting on the elevator wall out here and can direct somebody to say, ‘Hey, if it’s available, please go get it,’” House said.

House also described a registration checkbox that will let an AED owner mark a device as restricted (not available 24 hours or not for public use) and said the system can register mobile AEDs (for example, devices kept in the back of law enforcement vehicles) so dispatchers know a device is generally nearby.

Senator Owens asked how many other states maintain AED registries and about fiscal costs; Joseph House said some states do better work on AED registries, Kansas is “probably middle of the road,” and the registration system itself “doesn’t cost us anything to have…to build up,” though KDADS staff time would be required to monitor and maintain it. House said PulsePoint AED is the application/registry integrated into Kansas 911 systems.

Senators raised concerns about linking civil-liability protection to registration. House said the liability language was suggested to create incentive for registration and to support public-notification efforts; he said proponents did not necessarily prefer creating liability as the enforcement mechanism but were advised it would be an effective motivator. Senator Clifford asked whether a homeowner who uses an unregistered AED at a private event would lose liability protection; House said the statute retains notification requirements for home devices and that the registration/liability linkage was recommended as the easier path to ensure devices are registered.

Dave Johnston of the Kansas EMS Association reiterated support for the collaborative modernization effort and highlighted statutory updates such as permitting EMTs to monitor IV saline locks during transfers. Johnston and proponents noted support from regional EMS councils, fire chiefs and other stakeholder groups. The hearing record shows no opponents or neutral testimony beyond KDADS statement earlier and the committee closed the hearing on HB 2,280.

Why it matters: The bill would align law with current EMS practice, expand flexibility for nonemergency transport providers, and create a statewide AED registry intended to improve 911 dispatchers’ ability to direct bystanders to nearby devices.