STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

7589

IN SENATE

January 29, 2020 ___________

Introduced by Sen. GAUGHRAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to creating the New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention task force

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows:

1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 2 159-d-1 to read as follows: 3 § 159-d-1. New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment and 4 retention task force. There is hereby created the volunteer firefighter 5 recruitment and retention task force whose membership shall consist of 6 the chair or his or her designee; the commissioner of homeland security 7 and emergency services or his or her designee; the commissioner of 8 education or his or her designee; the chancellor of the state university 9 of New York or his or her designee; the commissioner of taxation and 10 finance or his or her designee; the commissioner of labor or his or her 11 designee; the president of the Fireman's Association of the State of New 12 York or his or her designee; the president of the Association of Fire 13 Districts or his or her designee; the president of the New York State 14 Association of Fire Chiefs or his or her designee; the president of the 15 New York State Fire Coordinators or his or her designee; the temporary 16 president of the senate or his or her designee; the speaker of the 17 assembly or his or her designee; the minority leader of the senate or 18 his or her designee; and the minority leader of the assembly or his or 19 her designee. The governor shall appoint the chair of the task force. 20 The task force shall report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly 21 and the temporary president of the senate no later than one year after 22 the effective date of this section. Such report shall include, but not 23 be limited to, recommendations concerning: 24 1. Firefighter 1 training, and all other firefighter training offered 25 by the office of fire prevention and control, and delivery methods to 26 enhance and streamline training including the use of distance learning; 27 2. The utilization of community colleges, BOCES or state accredited 28 high schools to train firefighters and the creation of pilot programs

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15049-01-0

S. 7589 2

1 within community colleges or BOCES that will offer Firefighter 1 certif- 2 ication upon completion; 3 3. The creation of a dedicated bureau within the office of fire 4 prevention and control responsible for recruitment and retention of 5 volunteer firefighters; 6 4. Tax incentives and volunteer firefighter benefits currently 7 provided and recommendations as to these or new programs; 8 5. Analysis of current recruitment and retention programs successfully 9 being utilized by other states and recommendations as to adoption of 10 similar programs in New York; and 11 6. Identification and recruitment incentives to assist in the recruit- 12 ment of volunteer firefighters from under-represented and at-risk popu- 13 lations. 14 All appointees of the task force shall be made no later than thirty 15 days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be 16 filled by the appointing authority. The task force shall meet no less 17 than six times prior to issuing its recommendations. The members of the 18 task force shall serve without compensation, except that members shall 19 be allowed their necessary and actual expenses incurred in the perform- 20 ance of their duties under this section. The department of homeland 21 security and emergency services shall provide the task force with such 22 facilities, assistance, and data as will enable such task force to carry 23 out its powers and duties. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.