HB3271 HFA WHITE & ARMSTEAD 3-2 #1 McOw
Delegates White and Armstead move to amend the bill on page six, section fourteen-a, line one hundred, by striking out the words “February 1, 2015” and inserting in lieu thereof the words “June 30, 2013”;
On page seven, section fourteen-a, following line one hundred eight, by inserting a new subsection (j) to read as follows:
“(j) Upon the conclusion of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, the provisions of this section shall expire and be of no further force and effect, the Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund shall be closed, and any balances remaining in the fund shall be distributed as provided in section thirty-three-a, article three, chapter thirty-three of this code.”
On page seven, section thirty-three-a, line two, following the word “thereafter”, by striking out the comma and inserting the words “until June 30, 2014”, followed by a comma;
And,
On page seven, section thirty-three-a, following line eleven, by inserting the following:
“(b) On or before August 1, 2011, the commissioner shall transfer $7.5 million from the premium tax savings fund created under section thirteen, article twelve, chapter twenty-nine of this code to the Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund and expended solely for the purposes established in section fourteen-a, article four, chapter twelve of this code until June 30, 2014.
(c) The State Fire Marshal, in consultation with the commissioner and the Secretary of Revenue, shall conduct a review of the needs of each volunteer or part volunteer fire company or department serving in the various counties of the state. On or before June 30, 2013, the State Fire Marshal shall submit to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance a comprehensive report of the review and the State Fire Marshal’s recommendations, substantiated by the findings of the review, of steps that may be taken to meet the needs of the volunteer and part volunteer fire companies and departments, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) An assessment of all current funding received by the volunteer companies and departments, and a further assessment of the funding necessary to provide the community protections required for the areas served by the volunteer companies and departments, the extent to which those needs are being met, the extent to which they are not being met, and recommendations of sources of funds to meet additional needs and the amounts needed, if any;
(2) An assessment of the cost of workers’ compensation coverage for the volunteer companies and departments and recommendations for any actions that may be undertaken by the volunteer companies and departments and others to reduce those costs;
(3) An assessment of the causes of any decline in recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters and recommendations for improvements in this area, including any recommendations for incentives that have a demonstrated record of significant increases in recruitment and retention as well as recommendations of sources of funds to provide those incentives, if funds are necessary;
(4) An assessment of the level of financial accountability that should be required of volunteer companies and departments in order to provide the Legislature the information necessary to target future funding for their activities based upon the safety and fire protection needs of the various areas of the state;
(5) An assessment of the comparative levels of funding for volunteer companies and departments provided by counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions and the means by which that funding is provided, including identification of those which contribute little or no funding to the volunteer companies and departments within their jurisdictions, together with recommendations for increasing those levels of contributions;
(6) An assessment of the comparative levels of funding for volunteer companies and departments provided by their own efforts, and the means by which that funding is provided, including identification of those which provide little or no funding through their own efforts, together with recommendations for increasing these sources of funding;
(7) An assessment of the comparative economic and other benefits provided by the various volunteer companies and departments to their particular counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions, as well as to citizens of the local communities they serve;
(8) Other assessments and recommendations which the State Fire Marshal deems appropriate in the circumstances.
(d) Upon the conclusion of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, the provisions of this section shall expire and be of no further force and effect and the Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund shall be closed. Upon closure of the fund, from any balances therein remaining, the state auditor shall first, to the extent available, transfer to the Fire Protection Fund an amount equal to the aggregate of funds deposited into the Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund during the fiscal years ending June 30, 2012, 2013 and 2014 pursuant to subsection (a) of this section that would otherwise have been required to be deposited into the Fire Protection Fund, and any balances thereafter remaining in the Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund shall expire to the general revenue fund of the state.”.
ADOPTED
REJECTED