The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin

10/21/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/22/2025 11:26

Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan Bills to Bolster EMS Professionals and Services Across Wisconsin

Press Release: Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan Bills to Bolster EMS Professionals and Services Across Wisconsin

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 10/21/2025 01:43 PM CDT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan Bills to Bolster EMS Professionals and Services Across Wisconsin
MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today signed two bipartisan bills to bolster emergency medical services (EMS) in Wisconsin by reducing financialbarriers for individuals seeking training, licensure, and a careerin EMS and reducing the financial burden for local governments and EMS providers by increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate for calls when a patient is not transported to a care facility.

"EMS professionals play an essential role in the safety and security of our families, our communities, and our state. I'm glad to be signingthesebipartisan bills that will helpget more folks into this criticalprofession by reducingfinancial burdensfor the training and education they need, while making sure providers can continue to provide life-saving care by ensuring they are getting reimbursed fairly for the care they provide,"said Gov. Evers."Nobody should ever call for help in an emergency and have towonder whether helpis going to come. We must continue to invest in and supportWisconsin's EMS professionals and providers andensure every community has the services they need to respond when Wisconsinites need them the most."

Senate Bill 182, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 35:
  • Requires the Wisconsin Technical College System(WTCS)Board to award grants to each technical college that provides an EMS program that trains and prepares individuals for initialcertification or licensure as an emergency medical responder or an EMSpractitioner;
  • Requires the WTCS Boardto develop and provide district boards with a standard template for a contract for access expansion services;
  • Requires the Higher Educational Aids Board to develop a reimbursement program for individuals or employers for tuition and materials relating to completing an EMS program at a Wisconsin technical college for initialcertification or licensure as an emergency medical responder or an EMS practitioner; and
  • Authorizes the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs to develop a live 911 pilot programtodistribute funding through a grant program toenable real-time video and multimedia communications between public safety professionalsand those who call emergency services.
Senate Bill 183, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 36:
  • Directs the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to increasethe current maximum reimbursementallowed under the Medicaid programfor ambulance response and treatment without transportto $175;
  • Requires the Emergency Medical Services Board, in consultation with DHS and the WTCSBoardto annually submita report to the Legislature on state and nationalchanges to thescope of practice of certain EMS professionalsand how those scope-of-practice changes may affect training in the state;and
  • Reduces the financial burden for local governments by excludinglevy limit adjustments related to joint fire and EMS districts from the eligibility calculation for the Expenditure Restraint Program.
An online version of this release is available here.
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Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
Press Office Email: [email protected]
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The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin published this content on October 21, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 22, 2025 at 17:27 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]