Bill Text: NY A00972 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to ensuring paid employees of a county airport or county aviation department which perform fire response or fire rescue duties are eligible for equal benefits as other paid firefighters.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2021-02-16 - signed chap.27 [A00972 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A00972-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           972

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. BRONSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Local Governments

        AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to ensuring  paid
          firefighters  of  a county airport or county aviation department which
          perform fire response or fire rescue duties  are  eligible  for  equal
          benefits as other paid firefighters

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 207-a  of  the  general  municipal
     2  law,  as  amended  by a chapter of the laws of 2020 amending the general
     3  municipal law relating to ensuring paid employees of a county airport or
     4  county aviation department which perform fire response  or  fire  rescue
     5  duties  are  eligible  for equal benefits as other paid firefighters, as
     6  proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.  6144-A  and  A.  7646-A,  is
     7  amended to read as follows:
     8    1.  Any paid firefighter which term as used in this section shall mean
     9  any paid officer or member of an organized fire company or fire  depart-
    10  ment  of a city of less than one million population, or town, village or
    11  fire district, or any paid [employee] firefighter of a county airport or
    12  county aviation department which performs fire response or  fire  rescue
    13  duties, who is injured in the performance of his or her duties or who is
    14  taken  sick as a result of the performance of his or her duties so as to
    15  necessitate medical or other lawful remedial treatment, shall be paid by
    16  the municipality or fire district by which he or  she  is  employed  the
    17  full amount of his or her regular salary or wages until his or her disa-
    18  bility arising therefrom has ceased, and, in addition, such municipality
    19  or  fire district shall be liable for all medical treatment and hospital
    20  care furnished during such disability.  Provided, however, and  notwith-
    21  standing  the foregoing provisions of this section, the municipal health
    22  authorities or any physician appointed for the purpose  by  the  munici-
    23  pality  or fire district, may attend any such injured or sick firefight-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07181-01-1
        A. 972                              2

     1  er, from time to time, for the purpose of providing medical, surgical or
     2  other treatment, or for making inspections and the municipality or  fire
     3  district shall not be liable for salary or wages payable to such a fire-
     4  fighter,  or  for  the  cost  of  medical  or hospital care or treatment
     5  furnished, after such date as the health authorities or  such  physician
     6  shall certify that such injured or sick firefighter has recovered and is
     7  physically  able  to perform his or her regular duties in the company or
     8  department. Any injured or sick firefighter who shall refuse  to  accept
     9  such  medical  treatment  or  hospital  care  or  shall refuse to permit
    10  medical inspections as herein authorized, including examinations result-
    11  ing from the application of subdivision two hereof, shall be  deemed  to
    12  have  waived his or her rights under this section in respect to expenses
    13  incurred for medical treatment or hospital care or salary or wages paya-
    14  ble after such refusal.
    15    Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,  a  provider  of
    16  medical  treatment or hospital care furnished pursuant to the provisions
    17  of this section shall not collect or attempt  to  collect  reimbursement
    18  for  such  treatment or care from any such member of the fire department
    19  of any such city.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
    21  manner  as  a chapter of the laws of 2020 amending the general municipal
    22  law relating to ensuring paid employees of a county  airport  or  county
    23  aviation  department  which  perform fire response or fire rescue duties
    24  are eligible for equal benefits as other paid firefighters, as  proposed
    25  in legislative bills numbers S. 6144-A and A. 7646-A, takes effect.