BILL NUMBER:S6592

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the state technology law and the state
finance law, in relation to training and education courses for certain
organizations

PURPOSE:  To make volunteer emergency response organizations eligible
for the Empire Knowledge Bank program offered by the NYS Office of
Information Technology Services.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends section 103 of the state technology law
to make fire districts, volunteer fire organizations, and volunteer
ambulance organizations eligible to participate in the Empire
Knowledge Bank program offered by the NYS Office of Information
Technology Services.

Section 2 of the bill amends subdivision 3 of section 99-q of the
state finance law to make participation in the Empire Knowledge Bank
program eligible for grant funding through the Volunteer Firefighting
and Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Fund.

Section 3 of the bill is the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:  The Empire Knowledge Bank is a training and education
              

program offered by the NYS Office of Information Technology. The
program is an e-learning program that provides a convenient and
cost-effective way to continue training and develop professional
skills. The program offers over 3,000 courses in information
technology (e.g.  programming, web development, security),
professional development (e.g. management, leadership, project
management, accounting, human resources), and desktop software (e.g.
word processing, spreadsheets, etc.). For a small fee, dozens of
government agencies have participated in the Empire Knowledge Bank in
recent years. At this time, the program is not open to not-for-profit
volunteer emergency response organizations.

Volunteer emergency response organizations are experiencing difficulty
with retention of existing members and the recruitment of new members.
Training and education opportunities are benefits that are projected
to enhance recruitment and retention efforts within the volunteer fire
service. The courses offered through the Empire Knowledge Bank program
would serve the volunteer fire service well at both the organizational
level and at the individual volunteer level.

At the organizational level, courses in accounting or financial
management would be helpful for proper record-keeping and financial
duties at the firehouse or ambulance company. Also, courses in
information technology and software applications will assist in
improving administrative effectiveness and efficiency. This type of
training and education will help volunteer fire companies and
ambulance companies better serve the communities they protect.

For individual emergency response volunteers, the Empire Knowledge
Bank provides various personal and professional benefits. For example,
some volunteer emergency responders are small business owners The


professional development courses offered in the program may provide
useful education on how to improve operations at their business, or
help them develop a skill that they currently do not possess. In
addition, according to the website for the Office of Information
Technology Services, the program also offers courses that provide
continuing education credits and courses that follow professional
tracks for Six Sigma, Project Management, and others.  Making this
type of training available to volunteer responders will help retain
existing volunteers that are working to maintain their volunteer and
professional activities. Further, some courses may even be eligible
for college credit. These courses will be especially attractive to
young men and women that are interested in volunteering but have not
done so because of their need to work in order to pay for college.

By making volunteer fire and ambulance companies eligible for the
Empire Knowledge Bank, volunteers will be provided with personal and
professional development benefits that will aid in the recruitment and
retention of members. This will help ensure that our communities have
the volunteers they need in order to ensure the highest levels of fire
protection and emergency response services.

BILL HISTORY: New Bill

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None

EFFECTIVE DATE:  On the 90th day after it shall have become a law.