NY State Senate Bill 2015-S1914

Senate Bill S1914

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Provides that authorities having control of a fire department or fire company which provide emergency medical services may establish fees and charges for services

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 16, 2016	reported and committed to finance
Jan 06, 2016	referred to local government
Jan 15, 2015	referred to local government

Votes

- May 16, 2016 - Local Government Committee Vote
  S1914
  
  9
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  0
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Local Government Committee Vote: May 16, 2016
      
      aye (9)
      
      Boyle
      
      Kaminsky
      
      Latimer
      
      Marchione
      
      Murphy
      
      Ortt
      
      Panepinto
      
      Ritchie
      
      Valesky

co-Sponsors

View additional co-sponsors

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3721
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§209-b & 122-b, Gen Muni L; amd §184, Town L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: A4310
2011-2012: S4856, A7291
2013-2014: S3262, A4113
2017-2018: S363, A3100, A7717
2019-2020: S1940, S3685, A1778
2021-2022: S1286, A534

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that authorities having control of a fire department or fire company which provides emergency medical services may establish fees and charges for services.

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S1914         REVISED MEMO 02/25/2015

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the general municipal law and the town
law, in relation to authorizing fees and charges for emergency medical
services

PURPOSE:

The bill would allow fire departments to charge for emergency medical
services provided. They are prohibited from doing so at this time.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1.This bill amends section 209-b (4) of the General Municipal
Law to remove the prohibition of fire department emergency medical
billing. This bill also amends
Section 2. Section 122-b (1)(e) of the General Municipal Law
Section 3. Section 184(1) of the town law in order to authorize
contracting with fire department emergency medical service units.
Section 4 Contains the effective date

JUSTIFICATION:

Paragraph 4 of section 209-b of the General Municipal Law prohibits
any ambulance service, which is run as part of a fire department, from
charging a fee for such service. Every other emergency medical

provider in the state is allowed to charge for such service. If
enacted, this bill would simply allow fire departments to recover
costs for services rendered. The ever increasing costs of state
mandates, coupled with increases in equipment and personnel costs have
led many municipality and volunteer ambulance providers to charge for
this very costly service. If the ambulance is provided through a
police department, ambulance department, volunteer ambulance corps, or
even contracted with a proprietary/for-profit service, a fee can be
charged. However if the service is rendered by a fire department, no
fee may be charge. This legislation would not require any fee to be
established, but would offer municipalities and volunteer fire
companies the opportunity to recover these ever increasing, mandated
costs.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2013/14: S. 3262 Referred to Local Government; A. 4113 Referred to
Local Government

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Ninety days after it shall have become law.

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1914

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 15, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sens. LITTLE, CARLUCCI, VALESKY -- 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 and the town law, in relation
  to authorizing fees and charges for emergency medical services

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.    Subdivision 4 of section 209-b of the general municipal
law, as amended by chapter 718 of the laws of 1958, is amended  to  read
as follows:
  4.  Fees  and  charges [prohibited] AUTHORIZED.  Emergency and general
ambulance service, INCLUDING EMERGENCY MEDICAL  SERVICE  AS  DEFINED  IN
SECTION THREE THOUSAND ONE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, authorized pursuant
to  this  section  [shall]  MAY  be furnished without cost to the person
served; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE AUTHORITIES HAVING CONTROL OF A FIRE
DEPARTMENT OR FIRE COMPANY THAT HAVE AUTHORIZED SUCH FIRE DEPARTMENT  OR
FIRE  COMPANY  TO PROVIDE SUCH SERVICE OR SERVICES MAY FIX A SCHEDULE OF
FEES OR CHARGES TO  BE  PAID  BY  PERSONS  REQUESTING  SUCH  SERVICE  OR
SERVICES.  THE  AUTHORITIES  HAVING CONTROL OF A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR FIRE
COMPANY MAY PROVIDE FOR THE COLLECTION OF FEES AND CHARGES OR MAY FORMU-
LATE RULES AND REGULATIONS  FOR  THE  COLLECTION  THEREOF  BY  THE  FIRE
DEPARTMENT  OR FIRE COMPANY. WHEN FEES AND CHARGES ARE AUTHORIZED PURSU-
ANT TO THIS  SUBDIVISION,  THE  FEES  AND  CHARGES  COLLECTED  SHALL  BE
DISBURSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A WRITTEN CONTRACT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE
AUTHORITY  HAVING  CONTROL  OF A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR FIRE COMPANY AND THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT OR FIRE COMPANY ITSELF.  The acceptance by  any  fireman
of any personal remuneration or gratuity, directly or indirectly, from a
person  served  shall  be  a ground for his expulsion or suspension as a
member of the fire department or fire company.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06267-01-5

S. 1914                             2

  S 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)  [No]  A  contract  [shall]  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 [the general municipal
law] THIS CHAPTER;
  S 3. Subdivision 1 of section 184 of the town law, as amended by chap-
ter 599 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
  1. Whenever the town board shall have established or extended  a  fire
protection district pursuant to the provisions of this article, the town
board  shall  provide  for  the furnishing of fire protection within the
district and for that purpose may (a) contract with any  city,  village,
fire  district  or  incorporated  fire  company maintaining adequate and
suitable apparatus and appliances for the furnishing of fire  protection
in  such  district or (b) may acquire by gift or purchase such apparatus
and appliances for use in such district and may contract with any  city,
village, fire district or incorporated fire company for operation, main-
tenance,  and  repair  of  the  same  and  for  the  furnishing  of fire
protection in such district, or both. The contract may also provide  for
the furnishing of (1) emergency service in case of accidents, calamities
or other emergencies in connection with which the services of firefight-
ers  would be required and (2) general ambulance service subject, howev-
er, to the provisions of section  two  hundred  nine-b  of  the  general
municipal  law.  In  the  event that the fire department or fire company
furnishing fire protection within the district pursuant to contract does
not maintain and operate an ambulance then a separate  contract  may  be
made  for  the  furnishing  within  the  district of emergency ambulance
service or general ambulance service, or both, with any city, village or
fire district the fire department of which, or with an incorporated fire
company having its headquarters outside the  district  which,  maintains
and operates an ambulance subject, however, in the case of general ambu-
lance  service,  to  the provisions of section two hundred nine-b of the
general municipal law, or with an ambulance service, certified or regis-
tered pursuant to article thirty of the public health law[, which is not
organized under the provisions of section  two  hundred  nine-b  of  the
general  municipal  law].  Any  such  contract  with  any such ambulance
service permitted herein shall be subject  to  the  provisions  of  this
section.
  S  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law.

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Senate Bill S1914

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Sponsored By

Betty Little

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

co-Sponsors

David Carlucci

Todd Kaminsky

George Latimer

Jack M. Martins

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S1914 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments