ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 4601
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: OCTOBER 5, 2026
The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4601.
As amended by the committee, this bill provides for the licensure of emergency medical responders (EMRs) and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and the certification of mobility assistance vehicle operators (MAVOs) by the Department of Health (department), makes various changes to the regulation of emergency medical services in the State, and establishes reporting requirements for certain health care providers providing or coordinating certain transportation services for patients.
The bill requires EMRs and EMTs to be licensed and MAVOs to be certified by the department in order to provide emergency medical services and mobility assistance vehicle services, respectively.
The Commissioner of Health (commissioner) will establish written standards and application procedures for the licensure of EMRs, EMTs and the certification of MAVOs. The commissioner will also establish written standards for the licensure of EMTs and EMRs by reciprocity. The commissioner will license or certify a candidate who provides satisfactory evidence of the successful completion of an educational program approved by the commissioner for the training of EMRs, EMTs, or MAVOs, as applicable, and who passes an examination approved by the department for the licensure. The commissioner may also license applicants for EMT or EMR licensure who have certain equivalent military training or experience.
The bill prohibits a person from impersonating a licensed EMR or EMT or certified MAVO and provides certain immunity from civil damages to EMRs and MAVOs.
The bill revises current law and provides the commissioner the authority to summarily suspend a person's mobile intensive care paramedic, EMT, or EMR license or MAVO certification when, in the commissioner’s opinion, the continued licensure or certification of that person poses an immediate or serious threat to the public health, safety or welfare. A person whose license or certification has been summarily suspended will have the right to apply for emergency relief. The commissioner may issue a formal written warning, impose a monetary penalty, place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew the license of any mobile intensive care paramedic, EMR, or EMT, or the certification of any MAVO, for violation of any of the rules adopted by the department pursuant to the bill. Under current law, the commissioner is required to provide certain notice and hearing before revoking the license or certification of certain emergency medical service providers.
The bill establishes certain staffing requirements for specialty care transport units, mobile intensive care units, basic life support units for emergent response, and mobility assistance vehicles. The bill requires all crewmembers to hold the appropriate license or certification as determined by the commissioner.
The bill requires each mobility assistance vehicle service provider, specialty care transport unit, and basic life support unit used for medical transportation to complete and submit to the department an electronic patient care report for each patient encounter in which the patient received health care transportation services. The commissioner will establish, by regulation, requirements for: (1) the collection of data that is to be obtained from each patient encounter; (2) the creation and use of the patient care report to provide the data in electronic form to the receiving facility in a timely manner; and (3) the electronic reporting of this data to the department. The department will develop and maintain an electronic record of the patient data reported and will make such non-identifying patient data available for research purposes, in accordance with guidelines to be established by the commissioner and subject to the requirements and restrictions of State and federal law and regulations.
The bill requires, upon request by the department, each hospital transfer center in the State to provide data concerning patient referrals and transfers upon request by the department in such form and manner as may be necessary to protect against the disclosure of any confidential or personal identifying information and as determined by the commissioner. The bill provides that this data will be maintained as confidential and not be considered a public record.
The bill requires the department, at such times as the department has collected the data required pursuant to the bill for a period of 12 months, to conduct a study on the quality of emergency medical services care and workforce in the State and to prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and Legislature.
The bill establishes certain penalties for the violation of laws contained in chapter 2K of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
The bill establishes a process for the issuance of a transitional certification, license, or approval for certain persons, businesses, or agencies already authorized to render basic or advanced life support services.
The bill repeals P.L.1985, c.351 (C.26:2K-21 through C.26:2K-34) and P.L.1989, c.214 (C.26:2K-39 through C.26:2K-47), which establish EMT designations that are no longer used in current practice.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amendments:
1) re-organize certain sections of the bill concerning the impersonation or reference of emergency medical responders and mobility assistance vehicle operators;
2) provide that the commissioner will promulgate regulations describing the circumstances by which an emergency medical technician or emergency medical responder may be exempted from certain rules;
3) provide that certain reporting requirements will be applicable to any patient encounter where medical transportation and health care transportation services were provided;
4) revise the bill's data reporting requirements;
5) revise the requirements of the study to be conducted by the department;
6) establish a process for the issuance of a transitional certification, license, or approval for certain persons, businesses, or agencies already authorized to render basic or advanced life support services;
7) provide that the commissioner will adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," as necessary to implement the bill’s provisions and remove language specifying a specific timeframe for the adoption of these rules and regulations; and
8) make technical changes concerning grammar and syntax.