The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — The Senate’s budget committee has stalled a proposal that would give Emergency Medical Service workers the same monthly supplement that local law enforcement officers and firefighters receive from the state.
Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would add full-time EMS workers to the list to receive a $500 monthly paycheck from the state on top of their local salaries.
The proposal (Senate Bill 285) would cost at least $3.7 million a year and likely more, depending on how many EMS workers qualified, according to legislative fiscal analysts.
“This sends a message to EMS that we hold them as a priority,” Morrell told the Senate Finance Committee.
The committee didn’t vote on the proposal, but simply held it without action Monday amid concerns about the price tag.