Texas EMS and county leaders are sounding the alarm over a state grant program that’s distributing far more than its $25 million budget— over $63 million to 150+ counties—but critics say the real problem lies in how funds are allocated.
House Bill (HB) 3000 establishes a grant program designed to strengthen ground ambulance services in rural communities.
Counties under 10,000 residents qualify for grants up to $500,000; and counties with 10,000 to 68,750 residents qualify for grants up to $350,000. Allowed uses include purchasing new vehicles, required equipment, accessories, and vehicle modifications. Applications must be submitted by the county judge, and each application can include up to two ambulance service providers. Counties have up to five years to spend the awarded funds. The law took effect on Sept. 1, 2025.
Through this program, eligible rural counties may receive funding to purchase ambulances, along with required equipment, accessories and vehicle modifications.
In the local area, Hockley County was awarded $350,000, Cochran County, $500,000, and Lamb County, $350,000, as were many counties in West Texas.
For implementation of the program, eligible counties were able to apply for grant funds in January 2026, regardless of the county’s fiscal start date. As of Sept. 1, the Comptroller’s office has awarded 150 Couties and $63,900,000.00 million for fiscal 2026.
Two county leaders, Seminole EMS Chief Carly French, who represents the Texas EMS Alliance, and Lamb County Judge James DeLoach, testified before the House Committee on State Affairs, pushing for changes to a state grant program they say is not working as intended and propose letting counties directly fund local EMS based on need to bypass bureaucratic hurdles.
They say the grant prioritizes organizational structure over community needs, trapping equipment ownership with counties for decades and blocking critical upgrades, and the comptroller’s formula often sidelines shared providers, forcing some counties to wait up to seven years.