HB 1238 CO
Designating Emergency Medical Services Essential Services
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Summary
This Colorado bill declares emergency medical services as an essential service in the state and an integral part of its health-care infrastructure. The bill establishes that emergency medical service providers, whether on-duty or volunteer and regardless of location, provide essential services when providing emergency and nonemergency ambulance services. The bill updates definitions related to emergency medical services, including a new definition of "out-of-hospital services" that means furnishing healthcare goods and services outside a hospital setting but not including prehospital transports. The bill clarifies that off-duty emergency medical service providers are not obligated to respond to medical emergencies or provide emergency medical services.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill (from the OpenStates abstract — no full text available yet) — neutral, and may be imperfect.
Official abstract
The act declares emergency medical services as an essential service in the state and an integral part of the state's health-care infrastructure. The act also declares that emergency medical service providers, whether responding on duty or as a volunteer and regardless of location, provide essential services when providing emergency ambulance services and nonemergency ambulance services. The act also updates certain definitions related to emergency medical services, including the addition of a definition of 'out-of-hospital services', which term is defined to mean the furnishing of necessary health-care goods and services outside of a hospital setting but does not include prehospital setting transports. The act clarifies that an off-duty emergency medical service provider is not obligated to respond to the scene of a medical emergency or provide emergency medical services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsors (25)
- D. Johnson Republican · sponsor
- M. Lukens Democratic · sponsor
- M. Baisley Republican · sponsor
- W. Lindstedt Democratic · sponsor
- C. Barron Republican · sponsor
- M. Bradfield Republican · sponsor
- B. Bradley Republican · sponsor
- C. Clifford Democratic · sponsor
- L. Feret Democratic · sponsor
- L. Garcia Sander Republican · sponsor
- S. Lieder Democratic · sponsor
- M. Martinez Democratic · sponsor
- T. Mauro Democratic · sponsor
- J. McCluskie Democratic · sponsor
- K. Nguyen Democratic · sponsor
- C. Richardson Republican · sponsor
- M. Soper Republican · sponsor
- L. Suckla Republican · sponsor
- R. Taggart Republican · sponsor
- E. Velasco Democratic · sponsor
- T. Winter Republican · sponsor
- L. Frizell Republican · sponsor
- R. Pelton Republican · sponsor
- J. Rich Republican · sponsor
- D. Roberts Democratic · sponsor
33 coauthors / cosponsors
- J. Bacon Democratic · cosponsor
- A. Boesenecker Democratic · cosponsor
- K. Brown Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Caldwell Republican · cosponsor
- M. Duran Democratic · cosponsor
- A. Flanell Republican · cosponsor
- M. Froelich Democratic · cosponsor
- L. García Democratic · cosponsor
- R. Gonzalez Republican · cosponsor
- E. Hamrick Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Jackson Democratic · cosponsor
- R. Keltie Republican · cosponsor
- M. Lindsay Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Mabrey Democratic · cosponsor
- B. Marshall Democratic · cosponsor
- K. McCormick Democratic · cosponsor
- A. Paschal Democratic · cosponsor
- M. Rutinel Democratic · cosponsor
- G. Rydin Democratic · cosponsor
- L. Smith Democratic · cosponsor
- K. Stewart Democratic · cosponsor
- T. Story Democratic · cosponsor
- B. Titone Democratic · cosponsor
- R. Weinberg Republican · cosponsor
- J. Amabile Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Carson Republican · cosponsor
- J. Coleman Democratic · cosponsor
- L. Daugherty Democratic · cosponsor
- T. Exum Democratic · cosponsor
- I. Jodeh Democratic · cosponsor
- C. Kipp Democratic · cosponsor
- L. Liston Republican · cosponsor
- J. Marchman Democratic · cosponsor
Action history (15)
- May 5, 2026 Governor Signed · executive
- Apr 6, 2026 Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 04/02/2026 - No Amendments · upper
- Mar 11, 2026 House Third Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor · lower
- Apr 28, 2026 Sent to the Governor · executive
- Apr 28, 2026 Signed by the President of the Senate · upper
- Apr 28, 2026 Signed by the Speaker of the House · lower
- Apr 7, 2026 Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments · upper
- Apr 6, 2026 Senate Second Reading Passed - No Amendments · upper
- Apr 1, 2026 Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole · upper
- Mar 17, 2026 Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human Services · upper
- Mar 12, 2026 House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments · lower
- Mar 11, 2026 House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor · lower
- Mar 6, 2026 House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments · lower
- Mar 3, 2026 House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole · lower
- Feb 18, 2026 Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services · lower
Full text
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