The State Senate Workforce Development Committee voted to recommend a do-not-pass on Senate Bill 2,100, a measure that would have removed a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) rule requiring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) instructors to be affiliated with a licensed EMS training institute.

Committee members said the bill was intended to ease training access for volunteer EMS responders in rural areas, but DHHS rules and funding shortfalls have created practical obstacles to that goal. Senator Kimberly Larson, a committee member, argued the rule had produced an "unfunded mandate" and that some regional training centers were unwilling or unable to affiliate with outside instructors, leaving volunteers unable to get locally available training.

Supporters of the DHHS rule — including written testimony read into the record from Chris Price of the Department of Health and Human Services — said the rule was developed through a years‑long stakeholder process and was endorsed by the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council to align training with industry standards. Price’s statement, read by a committee member, said the affiliation requirement was requested by the EMS association and emerged from extensive outreach and evidence‑based rulemaking.

Lawmakers voiced competing concerns: Senator Larson and others described real‑world implementation problems, such as training centers not accepting outside instructors and added travel and lodging costs that can deter volunteers; other senators cited the exhaustive rulemaking record and the desire to preserve standardized quality controls in training.

After discussion, a motion to recommend "do not pass" was made and approved by roll call. The clerk recorded a majority in favor of recommending do‑not‑pass. The committee noted the issue primarily affected volunteer EMS providers in rural areas and said the underlying practical barriers — training center capacity and resourcing — remain unresolved.

Committee members said a study or further work at the agency level could be helpful, but the committee concluded the bill as drafted should not proceed through this chamber. The committee’s do‑not‑pass recommendation does not itself change DHHS rules; it only reflects the committee’s recommendation to the full Senate.