FEATURED IN NEWS
- Face-Chewing Victim Recovering in Miami
- Search for Survivors in Oklahoma Nearly Complete
- Police Chief: No Charges Likely in Virginia Parade Crash
- Empire State Building Lights Up for EMS Week
- Paramedic Fights Drug Abuse with Electronic Pill Bottle
- Columbus Fire Department Kicks Off EMS Week with Community Challenge
- NAEMT & NEMSMA Announce Strategic Partnership
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- A bill that would add paramedics to the list of medical personnel who are authorized to do forensic blood draws on DUI suspects cleared its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday.
Sponsoring Rep. Val Peterson, R-Orem, said a case of driving under the influence that was dismissed on a technicality led to the bill. "Orem City had a DUI case in court where the blood draw was done by a paramedic," said Peterson. "Because of that the case was thrown out."
Paramedics are trained to draw blood. But under state law, only doctors, nurses and certified phlebotomists can collect blood for a test of a person's alcohol or drug levels.
Encountering no public comment, HB85 was unanimously endorsed by the Health and Human Services Committee and placed on the House consent calendar for speedier passage.
Copyright © 2013 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
