Bill Text: NY A09589 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the establishment of special districts for general ambulance services and requires a report on issues of volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing.

Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-25 - referred to local governments [A09589 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A09589-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          9589
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 25, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. JONES, WOERNER, STEC -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Local Governments
        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:
     1    Section  1. Paragraphs d, e and f of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of
     2  the general municipal law, as amended by chapter  303  of  the  laws  of
     3  1980, are amended to read as follows:
     4    (d)  Establish  a  special district for the financing and operation of
     5  general ambulance services as set forth by  this  section,  whereby  any
     6  county,  city, town or village, acting individually, or jointly with any
     7  other county, city, town and/or village, through its governing  body  or
     8  bodies,  following  applicable procedures as are required for the estab-
     9  lishment of fire districts in article eleven of the town law or  follow-
    10  ing applicable procedures as are required for the establishment of joint
    11  fire  districts  in  article eleven-A of the town law, with such special
    12  district being authorized by this section to be established  in  all  or
    13  any  part  of  any such participating county or counties, town or towns,
    14  city or cities and/or village or villages;
    15    (e) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
    16  (b) [or], (c) or (d);
    17    [(e)] (f) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
    18  of this section for the services of an emergency rescue  and  first  aid
    19  squad  of  a  fire  department  or  fire company which is subject to the
    20  provisions of section two hundred nine-b of the general municipal law;
    21    [(f)] (g)  Consider  prehospital  emergency  treatment  as  that  care
    22  provided   by  certified  emergency  medical  technicians  or  certified
    23  advanced  emergency  medical  technicians  certified  pursuant  to   the
    24  provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
    25    §  2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 719 to read
    26  as follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14231-01-8
        A. 9589                             2
     1    § 719. Report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance  services  staff-
     2  ing. 1. On or before the first day of January two thousand nineteen, the
     3  commissioner,  in  consultation with the state office of fire prevention
     4  and control, shall prepare and publish  a  report  on  the  staffing  of
     5  volunteer  firefighter  and  ambulance  services in New York state. Such
     6  report shall examine and evaluate the challenges and  issues  concerning
     7  the  recruiting and maintenance of trained, available staffing by volun-
     8  teer fire departments, districts and companies as well as for  volunteer
     9  ambulance  districts and companies. Such report shall specifically exam-
    10  ine and evaluate the challenges and issues that are particular to  rural
    11  areas  of  the  state and areas with geographic challenges such as moun-
    12  tains, waterways or limited transportation networks.
    13    2. In addition to identifying challenges  and  issues  concerning  the
    14  recruiting  and  maintenance of trained, available staffing by volunteer
    15  fire departments, districts and companies as well as for volunteer ambu-
    16  lance districts and companies across New  York  state,  as  required  by
    17  subdivision one of this section, such report shall also make recommenda-
    18  tions  on how to address and remediate the challenges and issues identi-
    19  fied, with such recommendations being submitted  to  the  governor,  the
    20  temporary  president  of  the  senate,  the speaker of the assembly, the
    21  chair of the senate standing committee on local government and the chair
    22  of the assembly standing committee on local government at  the  time  of
    23  the publishing of the report.
    24    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.