Provides relative to the administration of medications. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 195 enacts two new provisions in the Louisiana Revised Statutes governing emergency medical services, codified as R.S. 40:1133.4(A)(9) and R.S. 40:1133.19. The legislation requires the Louisiana Emergency Medical Services Commission to establish protocols authorizing licensed emergency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, and paramedics to administer patient-carried, time-critical prescription medications to patients with rare diseases, chronic illnesses, and special medical needs. The statute restricts such administration to intranasal, intravenous, and intramuscular medications and requires that administration occur at the request of the patient or the patient's family and in accordance with commission-established protocols.

The practical effect of this legislation extends to three categories of licensed EMS practitioners operating throughout Louisiana. These practitioners are now authorized to administer medications that patients carry for their own documented medical conditions when such administration is requested by patients or their families during emergency response situations. Patients with rare diseases, chronic illnesses, or special medical needs benefit from expanded access to time-critical medications during EMS response, potentially reducing delays in medication administration that could be medically critical. The legislation does not impose mandatory obligations on EMS practitioners to administer such medications but rather authorizes them to do so within the scope of commission protocols.

This legislation operates within the existing regulatory framework established by R.S. 40:1133.4, which sets forth the powers and duties of the Louisiana Emergency Medical Services Commission. The statute creates a liability protection mechanism by immunizing EMS practitioners from civil liability, criminal prosecution, and disciplinary action under professional licensing statutes when they administer patient-carried medications in accordance with commission protocols, except where outcomes result from gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct. This immunity provision operates as an affirmative defense to liability and disciplinary actions, creating a safe harbor for EMS practitioners who follow established protocols. The effective date of August 1, 2026 allows time for the commission to develop the necessary protocols before the authorization takes effect.