Lawmakers in the Hawaii State Legislature are considering a bill that would gradually transfer Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on Oahu from the state to the City and County of Honolulu, yet city leaders are not on board.
If House Bill 1281 becomes law, responsibility for both the management and cost of EMS on the entire island would be given up by the state, according to coverage by Hawaii Public Radio. The transfer, which is expected to take four years to complete, could begin before the end of 2021.
"We don't even know what we don't know," Mike Formby, Honolulu managing director, told Public Radio.
The Hawaii State Department of Health, which currently reimburses Honolulu for EMS costs, estimates that the state would save $51 million a year once the transfer is complete, but the Honolulu City Council is still unsure how much they would have to pay to maintain services, Hawaii Public Radio reported.
“Back in January, the mayor and I participated in a telephone call with the governor, and the request at that time was whether or not the county would consider taking over the EMS system," Formby told Public Radio. "At the time, there was no promise or commitment made, but there was certainly an indication by the mayor that he was willing to consider."
Yet, while Mayor Rick Blangiardi may be willing to discuss an arrangement, HB 1281 seems to have only added a lack of clarity to the situation, Public Radio reported. The Blangiardi administration wants more time to examine how a transfer would be accomplished, and is pushing for lawmakers to stop the bill from progressing.
"If they put this on us, the county could not come to the council and say 'This is what we need to establish, these are the positions we need, this is how the council should be involved, these are the rules we need to pass, this is the process,' – we don't know that," Formby told Public Radio.
While a statement from the Office of Gov. David Ige indicated that details are not final, the bill recently passed from the House to the Senate, where it is awaiting consideration by the Ways and Means, Judiciary, and Health committees, Public Radio reported.