Subcommittee tables seat‑belt exemption for emergency medical personnel after substitute motion
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Summary
A cognate bill to a House measure that would exempt public‑safety personnel providing life‑saving care from the seat‑belt law was presented with support from EMS associations; the subcommittee adopted a substitute motion to table the bill.
Senator Jordan presented what he described as a cognate of Delegate McQuinn's House bill to create a limited exemption from the Commonwealth's seat‑belt law for public‑safety personnel rendering emergency, life‑saving care. He said last year's seat‑belt law did not include a carve‑out for providers performing patient care, and the bill is intended as a narrow cleanup to avoid potential workers' compensation complications for medical‑service providers.
Ed Rhodes, testifying for the Virginia Association of First Responders, the Virginia Ambulance Association and the Virginia Association of EMS Administrators, said those groups support the bill and had worked around the prior language. Rhodes told the subcommittee, "We support the bill," and thanked Senator Jordan for carrying the legislation on the senate side while Delegate McQuinn has the house bill.
After a motion and second to report, the sponsor of a substitute motion (Senator Sudiline) withdrew the earlier second and offered a substitute motion to lay the bill on the table. The substitute motion was seconded and the chair announced the bill was tabled by a vote of 5 to 1.
