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Committee hears bill to create state EMS fund and ease training placements for paramedics
Summary
House Bill 4,053 would create a state Emergency Medical Services Program Fund, direct the Oregon Health Authority to run EMS workforce development programming, extend transition sunsets for trauma region alignment, and clarify out‑of‑state training placements; proponents said the measure requires no current appropriation but creates a container for future grants and donations.
The Senate Committee on Health Care heard testimony in support of House Bill 4,053, which would establish a state Emergency Medical Services Program Fund and make administrative and technical changes aimed at strengthening Oregon's EMS workforce and system oversight.
Representative Dacia Graber, a firefighter and paramedic who sponsored the bill, told the committee HB 4,053 extends the sunset for transitioning trauma regions into EMS regions, creates the state EMS fund as a repository for donations or Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants (without an appropriation this session), and clarifies licensure requirements and eligibility for clinical and field placements for trainees who receive out-of-state training. "We are not appropriating any money into the fund this year. However, we need the account available for donations or grants from the rural healthcare transformation program," Graber said.
Stakeholders including the Oregon State Ambulance Association and the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association urged support. Sabrina Riggs of the OSAA said the fund could support projects such as interoperability upgrades between dispatch and EMS charting systems and "grow your own" workforce programs. Amy Hannifin of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association described operational delays caused by current barriers to paramedic internships — citing a McMinnville Fire example where an intern waited about five months to begin an internship — and said the bill's technical fixes and the fund framework are necessary first steps.
Graber acknowledged ongoing funding challenges and said the bill seeks incremental, fiscally neutral steps to support an under‑resourced EMS system until broader funding can be secured. The committee closed the public hearing on HB 4,053 and carried the work session over to Wednesday, February 25 for further consideration.
