Emergency medical service providers in Maine have yet to receive any of the $31 million in funding that was allocated by the Legislature last year to help shore up a system considered to be in crisis.
A Blue Ribbon Commission that studied EMS services last fall presented its finding this week to the Legislature's criminal justice and public safety committee. The commission's co-chair, state Sen. Chip Curry, told the committee that rulemaking has delayed distribution of the funds.
"I will tell you our first reaction, when we came back into the Blue Ribbon Commission, was disappointment of how little had happened with the legislation we have passed," he said.
Commission members say that rulemaking for a portion of the funds was completed in December, and the deadline for EMS agencies to apply is next week.
The commission is recommending changes to ensure funding is distributed more quickly in the future.
