Add §200-aaa, amd §205-g, Gen Muni L; amd §3, Vol Ffs Ben L
Allows municipalities to enact a local law, ordinance or resolution authorizing a fire company to establish a stipend program for volunteer firefighters who schedule and complete daytime duty coverage; allows the office of fire prevention and control may make available state funds through a day shift stipend to volunteer firefighters for scheduled daytime duty coverage.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10591
IN ASSEMBLY
March 13, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Local Governments
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law and the volunteer firefight-
ers' benefit law, in relation to authorizing municipalities to estab-
lish a stipend program for volunteer firefighters
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new
2 section 200-aaa to read as follows:
3 § 200-aaa. Stipend program for volunteer firefighters. 1. For purposes
4 of this section:
5 (a) "fire company" shall have the same meaning as defined in section
6 three of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law.
7 (b) "stipend program" means the payment of a nominal fee to a volun-
8 teer firefighter for the completion of scheduled duty coverage as deter-
9 mined by the authority having jurisdiction.
10 (c) "volunteer firefighter" shall have the same meaning as defined in
11 section three of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law.
12 2. The governing board of a city, town, village or fire district, fire
13 protection district, or other authority having jurisdiction may, by
14 local law, ordinance or resolution, establish a stipend program for
15 volunteer firefighters and determine the structure, scheduling, eligi-
16 bility requirements, and compensation parameters of such program.
17 3. Any stipend provided pursuant to a stipend program establishment
18 under this section shall not be deemed remuneration or gratuity under
19 the volunteer firefighters' benefit law or any other provision of law
20 and shall not interfere with or impact the volunteer status of volunteer
21 firefighters under the volunteer firefighters' benefit law or any other
22 provision of law.
23 4. The office of fire prevention and control may issue non-binding
24 guidelines to assist authorities having jurisdiction in the development
25 and administration of stipend programs established pursuant to this
26 section.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14797-02-6
A. 10591 2
1 § 2. Paragraph c of subdivision 1 of section 205-g of the general
2 municipal law, as amended by section 3 of part H of chapter 55 of the
3 laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
4 c. "Line of duty" means the performance by a volunteer firefighter of
5 the duties and activities described in subdivision one of section five
6 of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law and the same such duties and
7 activities performed for a specialized team established pursuant to the
8 provisions of section two hundred nine-bb of this article for which the
9 volunteer firefighter does not receive any remuneration or a gratuity
10 and shall be deemed to include any date of injury as determined by the
11 workers' compensation board pursuant to the provisions of section
12 forty-one of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law. The following
13 shall not be deemed to be remuneration or a gratuity: reimbursement of
14 expenses for meals, lodging and actual and necessary travel; the receipt
15 of a mileage allowance in lieu of travel expense; reimbursement of
16 expenses for registration and tuition fees payable under section seven-
17 ty-two-g of this chapter, the acceptance of transportation, food, drink,
18 shelter, clothing and similar items while on duty or engaged in such
19 activities; [and] receipt of a training stipend as outlined in section
20 two hundred-aa of this article; and receipt of a stipend pursuant to
21 section two hundred-aaa of this article.
22 § 3. Subdivision 3 of section 3 of the volunteer firefighters' bene-
23 fit law, as amended by section 1 of part H of chapter 55 of the laws of
24 2023, is amended to read as follows:
25 3. "Line of duty" means the performance by a volunteer firefighter as
26 a volunteer firefighter of the duties and activities described in subdi-
27 vision one of section five of this chapter and the same such duties and
28 activities performed for a specialized team established pursuant to the
29 provisions of section two hundred nine-bb of the general municipal law
30 for which the volunteer firefighter does not receive any remuneration or
31 a gratuity and shall be deemed to include any date of injury as deter-
32 mined by the workers' compensation board pursuant to the provisions of
33 section forty-one of this chapter. The following shall not be deemed to
34 be remuneration or a gratuity: receipt of a training stipend as outlined
35 in section two hundred-aa of the general municipal law; reimbursement of
36 expenses for meals, lodging and actual and necessary travel; the receipt
37 of a mileage allowance in lieu of travel expense; receipt of a stipend
38 pursuant to section two hundred-aaa of the general municipal law;
39 reimbursement of expenses for registration and tuition fees payable
40 under section seventy-two-g of the general municipal law, and the
41 acceptance of transportation, food, drink, shelter, clothing and similar
42 items while on duty or engaged in such activities.
43 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
44 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
45 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
46 tation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made and
47 completed on or before such date.
