Watch the video: https://youtu.be/3moeyf51OBo

Assemblyman Mike Norris (R,C,I,Ref-Lockport) joined members of the Assembly Minority Conference, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) and others at a press conference today in Albany to express their support of legislation that supports volunteer firefighters.

“Our volunteer firefighters contribute so much to our communities. Not only do they save taxpayers billions annually, but they work tirelessly to protect our lives and property from floods and other natural disasters, support community events and organizations, and add to our overall quality of life,” said Norris. “I am passionate about helping to increase recruitment of volunteer firefighters, and that’s why I authored a new package of bills to help.”

The press conference highlighted a bill that would allow qualifying volunteer firefighters to be exempt from the state’s income tax. Norris also is introducing two new bills he authored that further support volunteer firefighter recruitment in our state. The first bill would create a scholarship program to help volunteer firefighters offset the cost of going to college. The second bill would create tax incentives for businesses that employ volunteer firefighters to offset time away from work for mandated trainings.

Norris encourages anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter to learn more about the benefits by contacting your local volunteer fire company or going online to the FASNY Web site.