NY State Senate Bill 2019-S7707A

Senate Bill S7707A

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to allowing a county to enter into a municipal cooperative agreement to provide joint emergency medical services

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 16, 2020	print number 7707a
Mar 16, 2020	amend and recommit to local government
Feb 10, 2020	referred to local government

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2019-S7707 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §122-b, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S4087
2023-2024: S426

2019-S7707 - Summary

Allows a county to enter into a municipal cooperative agreement with any municipal corporation, fire district, fire protection district, fire alarm district, or ambulance district within the county to provide joint emergency medical services.

2019-S7707 - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7707

SPONSOR: METZGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing a
county to enter into a municipal cooperative agreement to provide joint
emergency medical services

 
PURPOSE:

To authorize counties to enter into cooperative agreements with other
entities to provide emergency medical and ambulance services as an
essential service.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 - Adds a new subdivision 6 to section 122-b of the general
municipal law to authorize any county to enter into a municipal cooper-
ative agreement with any municipal corporation, fire district, fire
protection district, fire alarm district, or ambulance district within

the county in order to finance and provide emergency medical service,
general ambulance service, or a combination of both as a joint service.
The expenses of providing such a service shall be assessed and levied
from all lots and parcels of land within the county which receive such
joint services. No municipal corporation or district shall be required
to enter into a cooperative agreement. The joint services provided by
such an agreement shall be deemed essential services for the purposes of
applying for and receiving state aid.

Section 2 - Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Emergency medical and ambulance services in this state are in crisis.
The demand is ever-increasing, and many of these services are staffed
completely by volunteers. The combination of shrinking budgets, with the
increased difficulty in recruiting volunteers, has strained these
services to the breaking point.

By authorizing entities that provide EMS and ambulance services to enter
into cooperative agreements, this bill incentivizes countywide coordi-
nation of these services in order to share resources, ensure adequate
coverage in rural communities, and ultimately experience savings. It
also provides a critical new funding source by designating these joint
services as an "essential service" in line with fire, police and garbage
services. Access to this funding and the lower overhead costs of consol-
idated services will help keep volunteer ambulance corps across New York
State viable.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S7707 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7707
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 10, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in  relation  to  allowing  a
   county  to  enter  into  a  municipal cooperative agreement to provide
   joint emergency medical services
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  122-b of the general municipal law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
   6. ANY COUNTY  MAY  ENTER  INTO  A  MUNICIPAL  COOPERATIVE  AGREEMENT,
 SUBJECT  TO  THE  PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE FIVE-G OF THIS CHAPTER, WITH ANY
 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, FIRE DISTRICT,  FIRE  PROTECTION  DISTRICT,  FIRE
 ALARM  DISTRICT,  OR  AMBULANCE  DISTRICT WITHIN THE COUNTY, IN ORDER TO
 FINANCE AND PROVIDE AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE,  A  GENERAL  AMBULANCE
 SERVICE  OR A COMBINATION OF SUCH SERVICES, AS A JOINT SERVICE, PURSUANT
 TO THIS SECTION, AND SUBJECT TO THE RESTRICTIONS OF SUBDIVISION FOUR  OF
 SECTION  TWO  HUNDRED  NINE-B OF THIS CHAPTER. PURSUANT TO THE MUNICIPAL
 COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT, ANY COUNTY MAY CONTRACT WITH ONE OR MORE INDIVID-
 UALS, ASSOCIATIONS, OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO  IMPLEMENT  THE  MUNICIPAL
 COOPERATIVE  AGREEMENT  AUTHORIZED  BY THIS SUBDIVISION. THE EXPENSES OF
 PROVIDING SUCH JOINT SERVICE SHALL BE  ASSESSED,  LEVIED  AND  COLLECTED
 FROM  ALL  LOTS AND PARCELS OF LAND WITHIN THE COUNTY WHICH RECEIVE SUCH
 JOINT SERVICE PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH CHARGES SHALL NOT BE ASSESSED
 ON ANY LOT OR PARCEL THAT RECEIVES EMERGENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICE,  GENERAL
 AMBULANCE  SERVICE  OR  A  COMBINATION OF SUCH SERVICES FROM A MUNICIPAL
 CORPORATION,  FIRE  DISTRICT,  FIRE  PROTECTION  DISTRICT  OR  AMBULANCE
 DISTRICT  THAT  IS  NOT  A PARTY TO THE MUNICIPAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.
 NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS MANDATING THE  PARTIC-
 IPATION  OF  ANY  EXISTING  MUNICIPAL  CORPORATION,  FIRE DISTRICT, FIRE
 PROTECTION DISTRICT OR AMBULANCE DISTRICT WHICH CURRENTLY PROVIDES  SUCH
 SERVICES.    EMERGENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICES  PROVIDED FOR PURSUANT TO THIS
 SUBDIVISION SHALL BE DEEMED  ESSENTIAL  SERVICES  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF
 APPLYING FOR AND RECEIVING STATE AID.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15158-01-0

2019-S7707A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §122-b, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S4087
2023-2024: S426

2019-S7707A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S7707A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7707A

SPONSOR: METZGER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to allowing a
county to enter into a municipal cooperative agreement to provide joint
emergency medical services

 
PURPOSE:

To authorize counties to enter into cooperative agreements with other
entities to provide emergency medical and ambulance services as an
essential service.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 - Adds a new subdivision 6 to section 122-b of the general
municipal law to authorize any county to enter into a municipal cooper-
ative agreement with any municipal corporation, fire district, fire
protection district, fire alarm district, ambulance district or not-for-

profit ambulance service within the county in order to finance and
provide emergency medical service, general ambulance service, or a
combination of both as a joint service. The expenses of providing such a
service shall be assessed and levied from all lots and parcels of land
within the county which receive such joint services. No municipal corpo-
ration or district shall be required to enter into a cooperative agree-
ment. The joint services provided by such an agreement shall be deemed
essential services.

Section 2 - Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Emergency medical and ambulance services in this state are in crisis.
The demand is ever-increasing, and many of these services are staffed
completely by volunteers. The combination of shrinking budgets, with the
increased difficulty in recruiting volunteers, has strained these
services to the breaking point.

By authorizing entities that provide EMS and ambulance services to enter
into cooperative agreements, this bill incentivizes countywide coordi-
nation of these services in order to share resources, ensure adequate
coverage in rural communities, and ultimately experience savings. It
also designates these joint services as an "essential service" in line
with fire, police and garbage services. This designation and the lower
overhead costs of consolidated services will help keep volunteer ambu-
lance corps across New York State necessary and viable.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S7707A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7707--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 10, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed  to  the  Committee  on  Local  Government  --
   committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
   recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in  relation  to  allowing  a
   county  to  enter  into  a  municipal cooperative agreement to provide
   joint emergency medical services
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  122-b of the general municipal law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
   6. ANY COUNTY  MAY  ENTER  INTO  A  MUNICIPAL  COOPERATIVE  AGREEMENT,
 SUBJECT  TO  THE  PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE FIVE-G OF THIS CHAPTER, WITH ANY
 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, FIRE DISTRICT,  FIRE  PROTECTION  DISTRICT,  FIRE
 ALARM  DISTRICT, AMBULANCE DISTRICT, OR NOT-FOR-PROFIT AMBULANCE SERVICE
 WITHIN THE COUNTY, IN ORDER TO FINANCE AND PROVIDE AN EMERGENCY  MEDICAL
 SERVICE,  A GENERAL AMBULANCE SERVICE OR A COMBINATION OF SUCH SERVICES,
 AS A JOINT SERVICE,  PURSUANT  TO  THIS  SECTION,  AND  SUBJECT  TO  THE
 RESTRICTIONS  OF  SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED NINE-B OF THIS
 CHAPTER. PURSUANT TO THE MUNICIPAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT, ANY COUNTY MAY
 CONTRACT WITH ONE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS, ASSOCIATIONS, OR OTHER  ORGANIZA-
 TIONS  TO  IMPLEMENT  THE  MUNICIPAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AUTHORIZED BY
 THIS SUBDIVISION. THE EXPENSES OF PROVIDING SUCH JOINT SERVICE SHALL  BE
 ASSESSED,  LEVIED AND COLLECTED FROM ALL LOTS AND PARCELS OF LAND WITHIN
 THE COUNTY WHICH RECEIVE SUCH JOINT SERVICE PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH
 CHARGES SHALL NOT BE ASSESSED ON ANY LOT OR PARCEL THAT  RECEIVES  EMER-
 GENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICE,  GENERAL  AMBULANCE SERVICE OR A COMBINATION OF
 SUCH  SERVICES  FROM  A  MUNICIPAL  CORPORATION,  FIRE  DISTRICT,   FIRE
 PROTECTION  DISTRICT  OR  AMBULANCE  DISTRICT THAT IS NOT A PARTY TO THE
 MUNICIPAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT. NOTHING IN THIS  SUBDIVISION  SHALL  BE
 CONSTRUED  AS  MANDATING  THE  PARTICIPATION  OF  ANY EXISTING MUNICIPAL
 CORPORATION,  FIRE  DISTRICT,  FIRE   PROTECTION   DISTRICT,   AMBULANCE
 DISTRICT,  OR  NOT-FOR-PROFIT AMBULANCE SERVICE WHICH CURRENTLY PROVIDES
 SUCH SERVICES.  EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDED FOR PURSUANT TO THIS
 SUBDIVISION SHALL BE DEEMED ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15158-02-0

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