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S1772 FISCAL ESTIMATE
LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
SENATE, No. 1772
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
DATED: FEBRUARY 24,
2026
SUMMARY
Synopsis:
Requires DOH to develop Statewide Emergency Medical
Services Plan.
Type of Impact:
Annual increase in State expenditures, potential annual
increase in county and municipal expenditures.
Agencies Affected:
Department of Health; local governments.
Office
of Legislative Services Estimate
Annual Fiscal Impact
State Cost Increase
Indeterminate
Potential Local Cost Increase
Indeterminate
�
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that annual State
expenditures would increase under the bill by an indeterminate amount to
develop, implement, and periodically revise the Statewide Emergency Medical
Services Plan and notes that costs could rise into the millions of dollars
annually over a multi-year period.
�
To the extent that the Office of Emergency Medical Services
determines that the plan should include the use of regional emergency medical
services plans, which will be developed by county and local boards of health,
county and municipal costs could increase.
�
There is the potential for annual cost savings if the bill�s
requirements were to cause positive health outcomes or result in operational
efficiencies that reduce future treatment costs.
BILL DESCRIPTION
The bill directs the Office of
Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health to develop a Statewide
Emergency Medical Services Plan that provides for a comprehensive, coordinated
emergency medical services system in the State.� The plan may incorporate the
use of regional emergency medical services plans tailored to the needs of
designated regions in the State.� Any regional plans will be jointly developed
by county boards of health in the region, in consultation with local boards of
health, and must be approved by the Office of Emergency Medical Services.�
����� The Office of Emergency Medical Services will review
and update the plan triennially and will implement any changes necessary to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State�s emergency medical
services system.� The department will publish the plan on its website.
����� In developing and updating the plan, the Office of
Emergency Medical Service will conduct an inventory of all emergency medical
services resources available within the State, conduct an assessment of the
current effectiveness of the emergency medical services system of care,
determine the need for changes to the current emergency medical services system
of care, develop performance metrics with regard to the delivery of emergency
medical services and a method for monitoring whether those metrics are being
achieved, and consult with emergency medical services agencies and
organizations on applying for grants to support emergency medical services�
programs.
After development, the plan will
establish a comprehensive statewide emergency medical services system that
incorporates facilities, transportation, manpower, communications, and other
components as integral parts of a unified system to improve the delivery of
emergency medical services and reduce morbidity, hospitalization, disability,
and mortality.� This would include efforts to reduce the time between the
identification of an acutely ill or injured patient and the provision of
definitive treatment for that patient, the promotion of continuing improvement
in system components, the provision of continuing education programs for
personnel, and the establishment and maintenance of a process for crisis
intervention and peer support services for medical services and public safety
personnel.
���� In developing the plan, the Office of Emergency Medical
Services will coordinate with the Emergency Medical Services for Children
program and the State trauma medical director, both of which will revise any
plans, programs, or requirements related to Office of Emergency Medical
Services as necessary to conform to the plan.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
����� None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
����� The OLS finds that annual State expenditures would
increase under the bill by an indeterminate amount to develop, implement, and
periodically revise the Statewide Emergency Medical Services Plan but notes
that costs could rise into the millions of dollars annually over a multi-year
period.� The bill could substantially overhaul the delivery of emergency
medical services in the State, which is now primarily delivered at the State
and regional level.� The annual costs to the State would depend on the plan that
is developed by the Department of Health after conducting an inventory of the
emergency medical services resources currently available, conducting an
assessment of the current effectiveness of the system of care in the State, and
consulting with different stakeholders throughout New Jersey.� The OLS lacks
the informational basis to conclude what the final plan would entail and what
would be the associated costs.
����� To the extent that the Office of Emergency Medical
Services determines that the plan should include the use of regional emergency
medical services plans, which will be developed by county and local boards of
health, county and municipal costs could increase.
����� The OLS notes that there is the potential for annual
cost savings if the bill�s requirements were to cause positive health outcomes
or result in operational efficiencies that reduce future treatment costs.
Section:
Human Services
Analyst:
Anne Cappabianca
Senior Fiscal Analyst
Approved:
Thomas Koenig
Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the
Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to
respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980,
c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).