S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  857--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 6, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. JONES, WOERNER, COOK, J. RIVERA, BYRNE, MORINEL-
   LO, BLANKENBUSH, BUTTENSCHON, SIMPSON -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Local Governments --  recommitted  to  the  Committee  on
   Local  Governments  in  accordance  with  Assembly  Rule  3, sec. 2 --
   committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
   recommitted to said committee
 
 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, 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);
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05444-05-1
              

 A. 857--A                           2
 
   [(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;
   [(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. 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-THREE,
 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.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.