HBA-NLM, BTC H.B. 627 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 627 By: Reyna, Arthur Insurance 4/3/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, if an emergency medical services (EMS) vehicle is owned by a municipality or county, the governmental vehicle is exempted from having any additional coverage aside from the minimum insurance coverage required for all vehicles. Also, if an EMS vehicle is privately owned the usual minimum coverage is required. H.B. 627 requires privately owned EMS vehicles to have $275,000 in additional insurance coverage. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 601.072, Transportation Code, as follows: Sec. 601.072. MINIMUM COVERAGE AMOUNTS. (a) Provides an exception under Subsection (b). Makes a conforming change. (b) Provides that the minimum amounts of motor vehicle liability insurance coverage required to establish financial responsibility under this chapter for an emergency medical services vehicle operated by an emergency medical services provider licensed under Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code (Emergency Medical Services) other than an emergency medical services vehicle operated by the state or municipality or other political subdivision of the state, are: (1) $100,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one accident; (2) $200,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one accident, subject to the amount provided by Subdivision (1) for bodily injury to or death of one of the persons; and (3) $75,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one accident. (c) Created from existing text. Makes a conforming change. SECTION 2. Amends Section 773.0571, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subdivision (3), to require the Department of Public Safety (department) to be satisfied that each of an emergency medical services provider's vehicles complies with Chapter 601, Transportation Code (Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act), before the department issues a license, which is valid for two years, to the provider. Redesignates existing Subdivision (4) to Subdivision (5). SECTION 3. Amends Section 601.003(b), Transportation Code, to make conforming changes. SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Provides that Section 601.072, Transportation Code, as amended by this Act, applies only to the operation of an emergency medical services vehicle on or after January 1, 2000, and Section 773.0571, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act, applies only to an emergency medical services provider license that is issued or renewed after January 1, 2000. SECTION 5. Emergency clause.