S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    968
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Governmental Operations
 
 AN  ACT to amend a chapter of the laws of 2020 relating to directing the
   office of fire prevention and control within the division of  homeland
   security  and  emergency  services  to  form  a task force and issue a
   report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention, as
   proposed in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.7589-B  and  A.9779-A,  in
   relation  to  the New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment and
   retention task force and to the effectiveness of the provisions there-
   of
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Sections 1 and 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2020 relating
 to directing the office of fire prevention and control within the  divi-
 sion  of  homeland  security and emergency services to form a task force
 and issue a report relating to  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment  and
 retention,  as  proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.7589-B  and
 A.9779-A, are amended to read as follows:
   Section 1.  New  York  state  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment  and
 retention  task force. There is hereby created the volunteer firefighter
 recruitment and retention task force whose membership shall  consist  of
 the chair to be appointed by the governor; the  state fire administrator
 or  his  or  her  designee;  the commissioner of education or his or her
 designee; the chancellor of the state university of New York or  his  or
 her  designee;  the  commissioner  of taxation and finance or his or her
 designee; the commissioner of labor or his or her designee; NINE MEMBERS
 APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR; the president of the Fireman's Association of
 the State of New York or his or her designee; the president of the Asso-
 ciation of Fire Districts or his or her designee; the president  of  the
 New  York  State  Association of Fire Chiefs or his or her designee; the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07130-01-1

 A. 968                              2
 
 president of the New York State Fire Coordinators or his or  her  desig-
 nee; two members appointed by the temporary president of the senate; two
 members  appointed  by the speaker of the assembly; one member appointed
 by  the  minority  leader of the senate; and one member appointed by the
 minority leader of the assembly.   The task force shall  report  to  the
 governor, the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the
 senate  no  later  than  one  year after the effective date of this act.
 Such report shall  include,  but  not  be  limited  to,  recommendations
 concerning:
   1.  Firefighter 1 training, and all other firefighter training offered
 by the office of fire prevention and control, and  delivery  methods  to
 enhance and streamline training including the use of distance learning;
   2.  The  utilization  of community colleges, BOCES or state accredited
 high schools to train firefighters and the creation  of  pilot  programs
 within community colleges or BOCES that will offer Firefighter 1 certif-
 ication upon completion;
   3.  The  FEASIBILITY AND NECESSITY OF creation of a [dedicated] bureau
 within the  office  of  fire  prevention  and  control  responsible  for
 recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters;
   4.   Tax  incentives  and  volunteer  firefighter  benefits  currently
 provided and recommendations as to these or new programs;
   5. Analysis of current recruitment and retention programs successfully
 being utilized by other states and recommendations  as  to  adoption  of
 similar programs in New York; and
   6. Identification and recruitment incentives to assist in the recruit-
 ment  of volunteer firefighters from under-represented and at-risk popu-
 lations.
   All appointees of the task force shall be made no later than  [thirty]
 SIXTY  days  after  the effective date of this act. Any vacancy shall be
 filled by the  appointing  authority.  The  task  force  shall  meet  as
 frequently as deemed necessary prior to issuing its recommendations. The
 members  of the task force shall serve without compensation, except that
 members shall be allowed their necessary and actual expenses incurred in
 the performance of their duties under this section. The office  of  fire
 prevention  and  control  within the department of homeland security and
 emergency services shall provide the task force  with  such  facilities,
 assistance,  and  data  as  will enable such task force to carry out its
 powers and duties within reason.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
 deemed repealed [December 31, 2021] APRIL 1, 2022.
   §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2020 relating to directing the office
 of fire prevention and control within the division of homeland  security
 and  emergency services to form a task force and issue a report relating
 to volunteer firefighter  recruitment  and  retention,  as  proposed  in
 legislative bills numbers S.7589-B and A.9779-A, takes effect.