Senate Bill S3039

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3039
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 27, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  STEC,  GALLIVAN, OBERACKER, ORTT, TEDISCO -- 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 the establish-
   ment of special districts for general ambulance services; and to amend
   the  executive  law,  in relation to a report on volunteer firefighter
   and ambulance services staffing
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraphs  (d),  (e) and (f) of subdivision 1 of section
 122-b of the general municipal law, as amended by  chapter  303  of  the
 laws  of  1980  and  paragraph (e) as amended by section 2 of part KK of
 chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, are amended and a new closing  paragraph
 is added to read as follows:
   (d)  ESTABLISH  A  SPECIAL DISTRICT FOR THE FINANCING AND OPERATION OF
 GENERAL AMBULANCE SERVICES AS SET FORTH BY  THIS  SECTION,  WHEREBY  ANY
 COUNTY,  CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE, ACTING INDIVIDUALLY, OR JOINTLY WITH ANY
 OTHER COUNTY, CITY, TOWN AND/OR VILLAGE, THROUGH ITS GOVERNING  BODY  OR
 BODIES,  FOLLOWING  APPLICABLE PROCEDURES AS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE ESTAB-
 LISHMENT OF FIRE DISTRICTS IN ARTICLE ELEVEN OF THE TOWN LAW OR  FOLLOW-
 ING APPLICABLE PROCEDURES AS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT
 FIRE  DISTRICTS  IN  ARTICLE ELEVEN-A OF THE TOWN LAW, WITH SUCH SPECIAL
 DISTRICT BEING AUTHORIZED BY THIS SECTION TO BE ESTABLISHED  IN  ALL  OR
 ANY  PART  OF  ANY SUCH PARTICIPATING COUNTY OR COUNTIES, TOWN OR TOWNS,
 CITY OR CITIES AND/OR VILLAGE OR VILLAGES;
   (E) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
 (b) [or], (c) OR (D);
   [(e)] (F) A contract may be entered into pursuant to the provisions of
 this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad
 of a fire department or fire company which is subject to the  provisions
 of section two hundred nine-b of this chapter;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07304-01-3
              

 S. 3039                             2
 
   [(f)]  (G)  Consider  prehospital  emergency  treatment  as  that care
 provided  by  certified  emergency  medical  technicians  or   certified
 advanced   emergency  medical  technicians  certified  pursuant  to  the
 provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
   ANY COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE WHICH ESTABLISHES OR PARTICIPATES IN
 A  JOINT  DISTRICT  PURSUANT  TO PARAGRAPH (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL
 DISSOLVE AND ABOLISH ANY PREEXISTING LOCAL  DISTRICT  SERVING  THE  SAME
 JURISDICTION.
   §  2.  Paragraph  (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the general
 municipal law, as amended by chapter 303 of the laws of 1980, is amended
 to read as follows:
   [(e)] (F) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
 of this section for the services of an emergency rescue  and  first  aid
 squad  of  a  fire  department  or  fire company which is subject to the
 provisions of section two hundred nine-b of [the general municipal  law]
 THIS CHAPTER;
   §  3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 719 to read
 as follows:
   § 719. REPORT ON VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND AMBULANCE  SERVICES  STAFF-
 ING.  1. ON OR BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE,
 THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  STATE  OFFICE  OF  FIRE
 PREVENTION AND CONTROL, SHALL PREPARE AND PUBLISH A REPORT ON THE STAFF-
 ING  OF  VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND AMBULANCE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE.
 SUCH REPORT  SHALL  EXAMINE  AND  EVALUATE  THE  CHALLENGES  AND  ISSUES
 CONCERNING THE RECRUITING AND MAINTENANCE OF TRAINED, AVAILABLE STAFFING
 BY  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  DEPARTMENTS, DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES AS WELL AS FOR
 VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES. SUCH REPORT  SHALL  SPECIF-
 ICALLY  EXAMINE  AND EVALUATE THE CHALLENGES AND ISSUES THAT ARE PARTIC-
 ULAR TO RURAL AREAS OF THE STATE AND AREAS  WITH  GEOGRAPHIC  CHALLENGES
 SUCH AS MOUNTAINS, WATERWAYS OR LIMITED TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS.
   2.  IN  ADDITION  TO  IDENTIFYING CHALLENGES AND ISSUES CONCERNING THE
 RECRUITING AND MAINTENANCE OF TRAINED, AVAILABLE STAFFING  BY  VOLUNTEER
 FIRE DEPARTMENTS, DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES AS WELL AS FOR VOLUNTEER AMBU-
 LANCE  DISTRICTS  AND  COMPANIES  ACROSS  NEW YORK STATE, AS REQUIRED BY
 SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, SUCH REPORT SHALL ALSO MAKE RECOMMENDA-
 TIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS AND REMEDIATE THE CHALLENGES AND ISSUES  IDENTI-
 FIED,  WITH  SUCH  RECOMMENDATIONS  BEING SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR, THE
 TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY,  THE
 CHAIR OF THE SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE CHAIR
 OF  THE  ASSEMBLY  STANDING COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AT THE TIME OF
 THE PUBLISHING OF THE REPORT.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
 the amendments to paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the
 general  municipal  law made by section one of this act shall be subject
 to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section  4
 of  part  KK  of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, when upon such date the
 provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.