Legislative Accomplishments

Legislative Accomplishments 2022

• Held a successful 2022 Legislative Breakfast
• More than 3,000 bills introduced, 271 bills were ratified, and only 261 signed by the Governor into law. That means only 8% were adopted. This speaks volumes to our presence in the Statehouse as we were successful in getting several issues passed.
• H4601: EMS as an Essential Service. This bill passed successfully out of the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor.  South Carolina is only the 12th state in the nation to have EMS classified into law as an Essential Service.
• Workforce/Education: SCEMSA has led state and national efforts to improve awareness of EMS workforce for shared funding between the SC Technical College System and the SC EMS Regional Training, increase access to EMS education, and mitigate costs for EMS education. SCEMSA also brokered the first-ever consortium arrangement. These successful collaborations and partnerships have led to further discussions that has only enhanced the abilities to offer EMS education in South Carolina. 
• Medicaid Rates: This year, SCEMSA was successful in getting a 10% increase in Medicaid funding and a mileage increase to $2.62 per mile. It is our intent to introduce a plan in the 2023/2024 legislative session to increase reimbursement by way of a state plan amendment that allows for greater access to federal funding.
• Funding: SCEMSA worked diligently to successfully secure through various funding avenues to secure over $1.3 million for recruitment and retention, the SC EMS Foundation, and funding for the four Regional Offices.  In addition, Proviso 34.62 will provide SCEMSA with $1.6 million to increase our footprint and initiatives. This funding will provide for additional staffing over the next three years to allow us to reach our goals.
• Compact: This past legislative cycle, we were successful in getting the EMS Compact passed through the legislature. The EMS Compact facilitates the day-to-day movement of EMS personnel across state boundaries in the performance of their duties. The EMS Compact is a legal agreement between states, enacted by state legislation in over 20 states.

Thanks for helping us have a unified voice for EMS in South Carolina.