2025 WISCONSIN ACT 35
An Act to create 38.04 (9m) and 39.378 of the statutes; relating to: emergency medical services education, tuition and materials reimbursement for emergency medical responders and emergency medical services practitioners, and a live 911 pilot program.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
35,1Section 1. 38.04 (9m) of the statutes is created to read: 38.04 (9m) Emergency medical services education. (a) Subject to par. (b), the board shall provide grants to each technical college that provides an emergency medical services program that trains and prepares individuals for initial certification or initial licensure as an emergency medical responder, as defined in s. 256.01 (4p), or an emergency medical services practitioner, as defined in s. 256.01 (5).
(b) If there was a student enrollment waiting list for an emergency medical services program described under par. (a) at a technical college in the academic year preceding the board’s provision of a grant to the technical college under par. (a), the technical college, or district board of the technical college, shall prioritize use of the grant toward one of the following:
1. The technical college’s expansion of student enrollment access to the emergency medical services program.
2. The district board of the technical college entering into a contract for services under s. 38.14 (3) for the expansion of student enrollment access to the emergency medical services program. The board shall develop and make available to district boards for use or modification a standard contract template for a contract for services described under this subdivision.
35,2Section 2. 39.378 of the statutes is created to read: 39.378 Tuition and material costs for emergency medical services. (1) The board shall develop a program to reimburse the persons described under sub. (2) for the tuition and materials costs incurred in completing a program at a technical college in this state as necessary to qualify for initial licensure or initial certification.
(2) The following persons are eligible for reimbursement under this section:
(a) An individual who is applying for an initial license as an emergency medical services practitioner under s. 256.15 (6) (a) if the individual has personally paid the tuition or materials costs for the program.
(b) An individual who is applying for initial certification as an emergency medical responder under s. 256.15 (8) (b) if the individual has personally paid the tuition or materials costs for the program.
(c) The employer of an individual listed under par. (a) or (b) if the employer has paid for the applicant’s cost of tuition or materials for the program.
(3) To be eligible for reimbursement under this section, a person described under sub. (2) shall satisfy the following criteria:
(a) For individuals described under sub. (2) (a):
1. The individual has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction and training required under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 2.
2. The individual has passed any examination required under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 3.
3. The individual has met all additional qualifications for licensure as may be required by the department of health services under s. 256.15 (6) (a) 4.
4. The individual has received an initial license from the department of health services as an emergency medical services practitioner under s. 256.15 (6).
(b) For individuals described under sub. (2) (b), the individual has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction required under s. 256.15 (8) (b) 3. and has received certification as an emergency medical responder from the department of health services under s. 256.15 (8) (b).
(c) For employers who have paid for an individual’s costs of tuition or materials as described under sub. (2) (c), the individual satisfies the criteria under par. (a) or (b).
(4) To receive reimbursement under this section, persons described under sub. (2) who are eligible for reimbursement under sub. (3) shall apply to the board for reimbursement on a form prescribed by the board.
35,3Section 3. Nonstatutory provisions. (1) Live 911 pilot program.
(a) Grants. The department of military affairs may through a pilot program distribute moneys through grants to public safety answering points to enable real-time video and multimedia communications between public safety answering points and individuals who call for emergency services.
(b) Report. No later than October 15, 2027, the department of military affairs shall submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) on the performance of the pilot program under this subsection. The report shall include information on outcomes from the pilot program, the number of responses from dispatch that were altered due to increased information from the pilot program, and any cost savings associated with the pilot program.
