(a) The authority shall develop and, after approval by the commission pursuant to Section 1799.50, adopt regulations for the training and scope of practice for EMT-I certification.

(b) (1) No later than July 1, 2019, the authority, local EMS agency, and certifying entity shall require an applicant to provide either the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number for purposes of applying for a certificate or the renewal of a certificate.

(2) If the authority, local EMS agency, or certifying entity utilizes a national examination to issue a certificate, and if a reciprocity agreement or comity exists between the State of California and the state requesting release of the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number, any deputy, agent, clerk, officer, or employee of the authority or agency may release an individual’s taxpayer identification number or social security number to an examination or certifying entity, only for the purpose of verification of certification or examination status.

(3) The individual taxpayer identification or the social security number shall serve to establish the identification of persons affected by state tax laws and for purposes of establishing compliance with subsection (a) of Section 666 of Title 42 of the United States Code, Section 60.15 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 17520 of the Family Code, and Section 11105 of the Penal Code, and to that end, the information furnished pursuant to this section shall be used exclusively for those purposes.

(4) The authority, local EMS agency, and certifying entity shall not do either of the following:

(A) Require an applicant to disclose citizenship status or immigration status for purposes of the application or renewal of a certificate.

(B) Deny certification to an otherwise qualified and eligible applicant based solely on the applicant’s citizenship status or immigration status.

(c) Any individual certified as an EMT-I pursuant to this division shall be recognized as an EMT-I on a statewide basis, and recertification shall be based on statewide standards.

(d) Effective July 1, 1990, any individual certified as an EMT-I pursuant to this act shall complete a course of training on the nature of sudden infant death syndrome which is developed by the California SIDS program in the State Department of Public Health in consultation with experts in the field of sudden infant death syndrome.

(e) On or before July 1, 2016, the authority shall develop and, after approval by the commission pursuant to Section 1799.50, adopt regulations to include the administration of naloxone hydrochloride in the training and scope of practice of EMT-I certification. These regulations shall be substantially similar to existing regulations set forth in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 100101) of Division 9 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations that authorize an EMT-I to receive EMT-II training in the administration of naloxone hydrochloride without having to complete the entire EMT-II certification course. This subdivision shall be implemented in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 1798).

(f) To ensure that EMT-Is licensed in this state are able to assist individuals living with cognitive impairment, the authority shall, as part of EMT-I basic training, include a component within the dementia-specific training hours on how to interact effectively with persons with dementia and their caregivers. In developing this component, the authority may consult with community organizations advocating on behalf of Californians with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 88, Sec. 1. (AB 453) Effective January 1, 2020.)