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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to local government
- Referred to local government
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Entitles a volunteer firefighter or ambulance worker to certain benefits when such volunteer provides services when there is no jurisdictional officer in command present
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor William Magnarelli
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S5625
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to volunteer firefighter and volunteer ambulance worker response
Purpose
The purpose of the legislation is to provide coverage for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers when they are injured in the line of duty.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the legislation amends the general municipal law to address VFBL and VAWBL coverage for volunteers who provide emergency services before an officer in command arrives on the accident scene.
Section 2 of the legislation is the effective date.
Justification
Volunteer emergency response is dangerous. A reliable source of protection for volunteers is the volunteer firefighters' benefit law (VFBL) and the volunteer ambulance workers' benefit law (VAWBL). VFBL and VAWBL provide coverage similar to workers' compensation for injuries sustained in the line of duty. However, in some instances coverage is not provided even though the volunteer is injured in the line of duty. One such instance occurs when a volunteer is providing emergency services outside of his regular jurisdiction before an "officer in command" arrives on the scene. Unfortunately, if the volunteer is injured before the officer in command arrives, coverage can be (and is) denied. This quirk in the law can be addressed by making it permissive for a local government entity and fire company to authorize coverage for volunteers responding in these circumstances, thereby encouraging the best possible emergency response service to the citizens of the state.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal impact on the state
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.