CSHB 70(HSS): "An Act relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the powers, duties, and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile intensive care paramedics; relating to the practice of veterinary medicine; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 70(HSS) 01 "An Act relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the 02 powers, duties, and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile intensive care 03 paramedics; relating to the practice of veterinary medicine; and providing for an 04 effective date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. AS 08.98.120(a) is amended to read: 07 (a) A person may not practice veterinary medicine, surgery, or dentistry unless 08 the person is licensed as a veterinarian under this chapter or has a temporary permit 09 issued under AS 08.98.186, except that a person may perform functions authorized by 10 (1) regulation of the board if the person is licensed as a veterinary 11 technician; [OR] 12 (2) a permit issued under AS 08.02.050 if the person is employed by 13 an agency that has a permit issued under AS 08.02.050; or 14 (3) AS 18.08.093 if the person is certified as an emergency medical
01 technician or licensed as a mobile intensive care paramedic. 02 * Sec. 2. AS 18.08.075(a) is amended to read: 03 (a) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 04 responds to an emergency with an ambulance service or first responder service, who 05 has in the technician's or mobile intensive care paramedic's possession a current 06 emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic identification card, 07 and who provides emergency medical care or other emergency medical service, has 08 the authority to 09 (1) control and direct activities at the accident site or emergency until 10 the arrival of law enforcement personnel; 11 (2) order a person other than the owner to leave a building or place in 12 the vicinity of the accident or other emergency for the purpose of protecting the person 13 from injury; 14 (3) temporarily block a public highway, street, or private right-of-way 15 while at the scene of an accident, illness, or emergency; 16 (4) trespass on [UPON] property at or near the scene of an accident, 17 illness, or emergency at any time of day or night; 18 (5) enter a building, including a private dwelling, or premises where a 19 report of an injury or illness has taken place or where there is a reasonable cause to 20 believe an individual or operational canine has been injured or is ill to render 21 emergency medical care; and 22 (6) direct the removal or destruction of a motor vehicle or other thing 23 that the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic determines 24 is necessary to prevent further harm to injured or ill individuals or operational 25 canines. 26 * Sec. 3. AS 18.08.082(a) is amended to read: 27 (a) The department shall prescribe by regulation a course of training or other 28 requirements prerequisite to the issuance of certificates or licenses that provide for the 29 following: 30 (1) certification of a person who meets the training and other 31 requirements as an emergency medical technician, emergency medical technician
01 instructor, or emergency medical dispatcher; 02 (2) authorization for an emergency medical technician certified under 03 this chapter to provide under the written or oral direction of a physician the advanced 04 life support services enumerated on the certificate or enumerated on a written 05 document filed with the department by the technician's medical director and approved 06 by the department under its regulations; 07 (3) certification that a person, organization, or government agency that 08 provides an emergency medical service, conducts a training course for a mobile 09 intensive care paramedic, or represents itself as a trauma center meets the minimum 10 standards prescribed by the department for that service, course, or designation; 11 (4) authorization for an emergency medical service certified under this 12 chapter to provide under the written or oral direction of a physician the advanced life 13 support services enumerated on the certificate or enumerated on a written document 14 filed with the department by the medical director for the emergency medical service 15 and approved by the department under its regulations; [AND] 16 (5) licensure of a mobile intensive care paramedic and the medical 17 services that a mobile intensive care paramedic may perform, including the 18 (A) educational and other qualifications, which may include 19 education in pain management and opioid use and addiction; 20 (B) application and licensing procedures; 21 (C) scope of activities authorized; and 22 (D) responsibilities of a supervising or training physician; and 23 (6) authorization for an emergency medical technician certified 24 under this chapter or mobile intensive care paramedic licensed under this 25 chapter to provide to operational canines the emergency medical services 26 enumerated on a written document filed with the department by the medical 27 director and approved by the department in regulation. 28 * Sec. 4. AS 18.08.086(a) is amended to read: 29 (a) A person certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administers 30 emergency medical services to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, 31 administers emergency medical services to an operational canine, a person or
01 public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or controls the activities of persons 02 certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administer emergency medical services 03 to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, administer emergency 04 medical services to an operational canine, or a health care professional or 05 emergency medical dispatcher acting within the scope of the person's certification or 06 licensure who directs or advises a person to administer emergency medical services to 07 an injured or sick person is not liable for civil damages as a result of an act or 08 omission in administering those services or giving that advice or those directions if the 09 administering, advising, and directing are done in good faith and the injured or sick 10 person or operational canine reasonably seems to be in immediate danger of serious 11 harm or death. This subsection does not preclude liability for civil damages that are 12 the proximate result of gross negligence or intentional misconduct, nor preclude 13 imposition of liability on a person or public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or 14 controls the activities of persons certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 if the act or 15 omission is a proximate result of a breach of duty to act created under this chapter. In 16 this subsection, "gross negligence" means reckless, wilful, or wanton misconduct. 17 * Sec. 5. AS 18.08.087 is amended to read: 18 Sec. 18.08.087. Disclosure of medical records. When requested for the 19 purpose of evaluating the performance of an emergency medical technician, mobile 20 intensive care paramedic, or physician who provided emergency medical care or other 21 assistance to a sick or injured person, a licensed physician, advanced practice 22 registered nurse, or physician assistant may disclose to an emergency medical 23 technician, [A] mobile intensive care paramedic, or physician the medical or hospital 24 records of a sick or injured person to whom the paramedic, technician, or physician is 25 providing or has rendered emergency medical care or assistance. [HOWEVER, THE 26 DISCLOSING PHYSICIAN, ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE, OR 27 PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SHALL LIMIT DISCLOSURE UNDER THIS SECTION 28 TO THE RECORDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED NECESSARY BY THE 29 DISCLOSER FOR EVALUATION OF THE PARAMEDIC'S, TECHNICIAN'S, OR 30 PHYSICIAN'S PERFORMANCE IN PROVIDING THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL 31 CARE OR ASSISTANCE. A MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDIC,
01 EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TECHNICIAN, OR PHYSICIAN TO WHOM 02 CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS ARE DISCLOSED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY 03 NOT FURTHER DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION TO A PERSON NOT 04 ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION UNDER THIS SECTION OR 05 ANOTHER LAW.] 06 * Sec. 6. AS 18.08.087 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 07 (b) When requested for the purpose of evaluating the performance of an 08 emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who provided 09 emergency medical care or other assistance to a sick or injured operational canine, a 10 licensed veterinarian may disclose to an emergency medical technician or mobile 11 intensive care paramedic the medical or hospital records of a sick or injured 12 operational canine to whom the technician or paramedic is providing or has rendered 13 emergency medical care or assistance. 14 (c) An individual making a disclosure under this section shall limit the 15 disclosure to the records that are considered necessary by the discloser for evaluation 16 of the technician's, paramedic's, or physician's performance in providing the 17 emergency medical care or assistance. An emergency medical care technician, mobile 18 intensive care paramedic, physician, or veterinarian to whom confidential records are 19 disclosed under this section may not further disclose the information to a person not 20 entitled to receive that information under this section or another law. 21 * Sec. 7. AS 18.08 is amended by adding a new section to read: 22 Sec. 18.08.093. Emergency medical services for operational canines. (a) An 23 emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic may provide 24 emergency medical services to an operational canine if the emergency medical 25 technician or mobile intensive care paramedic 26 (1) reasonably determines that there is an immediate danger of serious 27 harm to or death of the operational canine and that a veterinarian is unavailable to 28 provide emergency medical services to the operational canine soon enough to address 29 the danger; 30 (2) is authorized to provide the emergency medical services to an 31 operational canine under AS 18.08.082(a)(6); and
01 (3) meets at least one of the following requirements: 02 (A) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 03 paramedic has obtained informed consent from the owner of the operational 04 canine or a person authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 05 canine; 06 (B) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 07 paramedic is employed by the governmental agency that owns or has authority 08 to make medical decisions about the operational canine; or 09 (C) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 10 paramedic provides the emergency medical service in accordance with a 11 written protocol developed and approved by a veterinarian. 12 (b) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 13 provides an emergency medical service to an operational canine under (a) of this 14 section shall transfer the operational canine to a licensed veterinarian at the earliest 15 practicable opportunity. 16 * Sec. 8. AS 18.08.100(b) is amended to read: 17 (b) If an individual certified or licensed under this chapter determines in the 18 course of a telehealth encounter with a patient that some or all of the encounter will 19 extend beyond the individual's authorized scope of practice, the individual shall advise 20 the patient that the individual is not authorized to provide some or all of the services to 21 the patient, recommend that the patient contact an appropriate provider for the services 22 the individual is not authorized to provide, and limit the encounter to only those 23 services the individual is authorized to provide. If the patient is an operational 24 canine, the individual shall provide the advice and recommendation to the person 25 who owns or is authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 26 canine. The individual certified or licensed under this chapter may not charge for any 27 portion of an encounter that extends beyond the individual's authorized scope of 28 practice. 29 * Sec. 9. AS 18.08.200 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 30 (15) "operational canine" means a dog used 31 (A) by law enforcement or other government agencies; or
01 (B) in search and rescue operations; 02 (16) "veterinarian" means a veterinarian licensed under AS 08.98. 03 * Sec. 10. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.